A Howl and a Song
by labradorite
Summary: When a mysterious young woman meets the Marauders on the train to school, only drama can ensue...RL/OC NOTE: Blatant Mary Sue ahead. You've been warned.
1. Chapter 1

"No drugs,"

"Dad, it's not like I'm going to some school in Detroit. I think I'm perfectly capable of—"

"No sex,"

"_Dad—_"

"No drinking, "

"DAD—"

"I know, I know. Just be safe, okay?" The teenage girl rolled her eyes at her father. "_Okay?_" He enunciated.

"Yes. Okay. Will do. No problem," a flash of red hair in the corner of her eye. The youth turned her head slightly to follow the redhead. It didn't go unnoticed.

"Brigit, are you listening to me? You'll have to stay at school for Christmas," her dad let out a small sigh. He had clearly lost her attention.

"Mmhmm. Listen, the train is leaving soon. I'll owl as soon as I get a chance, probably tonight. Tell mom I love her and give Michael a pinch for me," she kissed him on the cheek. If she didn't leave soon they would both start crying, and that was public attention she just didn't need. "I love you."

"I love you too. Have fun, Bri. Promise me you'll _try_ to stay out of trouble,"

"Never," she winked a hazel eye at her father. She kissed his cheek softly and felt the knot in her stomach grow larger. How on Earth was she going to find platform 9 ¾? That doesn't even make sense!

Sors Major was not a man to show much affection in public, but the thought of his baby girl going away to school made the back of his throat tighten. Fighting back tears he gave her a big hug. Not enough to last a year. Not enough to protect his baby girl.

"Bye, honey," he stroked his daughters cheek with the back of his hand. And then he was gone. She let out a sigh. "_Now to find someone who knows how the hell to get to this school." _With a train that leaves promptly at 11 o'clock, time was not something to waste.

Humming to herself, she looked around the station in search of someone who could help her. Spotting the redhead again, the young girl hugged two adults who appeared to be her mother and father. A younger girl, probably a sister, looked on next to her with slight disdain coloring her face. As the girl reached up to hug her father, her shirt tightened slightly around her torso, leaving a slight imprint of a slender piece of wood next to her skin. "_A wand?" _Brigit mused. She decided to give it a shot. If she was wrong, she could always play herself off as one of the many loons of London.

"Excuse me?" Brigit called, walking closer to the parting family. She dragged her trolley around with her. Her owl, Artemis, gave a small hoot of protest to being jolted so suddenly.

Was it odd to be carrying around an owl? Was it odd to be looking for people to be carrying wands? In the muggle world, it was indeed something one didn't hear of everyday. In Brigit Major's world, however, magic and wizards were a regular topic. She was a witch about to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and she couldn't be any less normal.

The redhead and her family turned towards the sound of her voice. "Excuse me?" she repeated, walking closer. The family gave her an inquiring look while taking in her appearance. Dressed as a muggle for the sake of the train station, the only thing odd about her was the complete and utter confidence in which she carried herself.

"Can I help you?" The redhead questioned with a smile.

"Yeah, actually. How do you get to platform nine and three quarters?" With a small smile she took in the shocked faces of the redhead's family. The girl, however, didn't seem to be surprised at all.

Instead of answering, the girl said, "I'm Lily Evans."

"Brigit Major."

"Well, Brigit, let's go catch that train," and with a friendly grin, they started an unforgettable year.

The platform was a sea of parents crying, friends hugging, owls hooting, and various shouts from the engineers. Brigit stood on the other side of the brick wall in awe, attempting in vain to take it all in. Her life had been anything but charmed and this school was clearly the epitome of enchanted. She noticed several students wearing what looked to be mascots of some sort and colors to match. "This must be the house colors," she said to herself smartly. Thinking very plainly that she would rather be anything but the yellow and black combination, she made her way to the train.

Lily Evans, the mysterious redhead Brigit had become friendly with in the past five minutes, seemed to be searching around the platform for something.

"Something tickle your fancy, Evans?" A voice rang out behind the pair. Lily quickly turned a deep shade of crimson.

"I have to say, Lily," Brigit snickered as she turned to look at who was addressing Lily, "that shade of your face clashes terribly with your hair."

"Bite me," Lily glared.

"With pleasure," the boy had reached them. "Just say when and where." The boy was certainly pleasant to look at. His spectacled hazel eyes made their way up and down Brigit's' body. He seemed to approve. "Who's your friend?"

"She's not interested."

"Oh, come on, Evans. Loosen up. Let your hair down. Smell the roses," This boy was clearly comfortable in his own skin.

"The only thing I smell, Potter, is you," she snapped. Apparently Lily wasn't fond of this Potter boy.

"That hurt, Evans. Right here," he patted his chest where his heart would be. "Come on, Evans. Go on a date with me. Everyone knows you want to. Isn't that right?" Now he looked to Brigit for confirmation. Lily turned to face her with a look on her face that clearly read 'agree with him and you die'.

"Maybe acting like an arrogant prat works on your fan club, Potter, but it certainly isn't working on me." With that, Lily turned on her heel and strode to the train without a glance back. Brigit couldn't help but notice that the boy looked crestfallen.

"I'm Brigit Major and if it helps at all it seems that she does actually like you," Brigit smiled shyly, extending out her hand.

"Sirius Black," a young boy had come up behind the Potter kid and leapt in front of him in attempt to embrace the hand first.

"James Potter," James said, elbowing Sirius out of the way. "You don't need to know him," he pointed at Sirius, an exceptionally handsome young man, who mimed having his heart ripped out. Brigit restrained herself from laughing at his antics.

"C'mon, beautiful. Let's go find our friends," Sirius winked flirtatiously. Brigit allowed them to lead her onto the train and off the noisy platform. Sirius and James left her with a wave, ducking into a compartment where she could hear shouts and greetings from several voices.

Alone once more, Brigit looked up and down the long aisles of compartments. She heard giggling girls, rowdy boys, and different spells being cast in each compartment. Happiness.

Brigit had not had a difficult childhood. Her father was a healer working at St. Mungo's and then was transferred to America where she was born. Her older brother loved her and they had a great relationship. Her mother was fantastic, Brigit's best friend. Unfortunately, they all harbored a secret. Something she was not allowed to tell anyone. Of course, she had told a couple people. Previous boyfriends, other best friends…but she hadn't told anyone important. Never all the details, either. 'There are some things you just have to keep quiet' her mother always told her.

But why? Why did this have to be kept a secret? Her mother was trying to protect her. Protect _her?_ Brigit had the cliché teenage attitude. She knows everything. No one can ever tell her something she doesn't know. She is smart enough to take anything on. She is competent enough to know everything about everyone. She could face He-who-must-not-be-named single handedly.

Too bad all of this was true.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! I really appreciated the feedback, and look forward to more! I'm not promising a chapter out every day, but I've had these few written for a while, so here you go! I love reviews, and I totally love constructive criticism. Enjoy!**

Brigit furrowed her brow at the task of trying to find a compartment. Being basically friendless, okay, completely friendless, proved to be irksome. She shuffled along, glancing every once in a while into a compartment to see various faces from curious eyes to death glares. Stumbling slightly over a misplaced trunk, Brigit quickly lost her footing, stubbing her toe painfully and, while letting out a shrill cry of pain, began to fall. She didn't have time to close her eyes before letting out a gasp of surprise when a pair of strong arms looped around her waist and set her upright. Sure, her trunk rolled down the hallway, but she was alive! She could hear Artemis hooting wildly at the sudden disturbance.

"Sirius?" Brigit peered at her savior with interest. He was tall and gorgeous, sure. His shining gray eyes smoldered as he flipped his shaggy brown hair over his shoulder. Setting her upright, Brigit made note of the fact that he continuously ran his fingers through his hair absentmindedly, more out of habit than anything else. It wasn't long enough to get in his eyes. The motion was not unlike that of his friend James, though James's was more of a conscious habit of looking as though he had just gotten off a broomstick. Where he got the idea that "hair from the air" was a good look, Brigit would never know.

"Hello again, beautiful," Sirius smirked sexily. "Have a nice fall?" Brigit couldn't help but roll her eyes at this pathetic line.

"No, thanks to you though. Thank you from saving me from my almost certain demise from the evil trunk of doom," Brigit winked and retrieved her trunk, quietly apologizing to her livid owl.

"Where are you off to? I can't imagine a beauty like you would have no friends to sit with," Sirius flirted shamelessly, and Brigit couldn't help but flirt back. He was pretty damn cute, after all.

"Oh, I've already had plenty of offers for seating arrangements," Brigit smirked slightly at his suddenly downcast expression, "but none of them interested me. Do you know where that Lily girl is? She was nice to me before, maybe I could impose on her some more." They started walking down the corridor, peeking into compartments looking for her redheaded friend.

"Speak of the devil," Lily chimed in from behind Brigit. "Hello, Lennie," Sirius looked confused while Brigit giggled at the _Of Mice and Men_ reference, "did you get your farm yet?" They scooted into an empty compartment and struggled to place their trunks in the overhanging. Sirius followed them in and helped Lily lift her heavy trunk.

"Jesus, Evans. What the hell do you have in this thing? This thing feels like Flitwick's inside." Sirius complained, heaving the trunk onto the hanging net with a pant of effort.

"I, unlike you, dear Sirius, know how to read. So therefore, I have those things called "books". You may have heard of them, we use them to become intelligent and actually do something with our lives." Lily retorted, flipping her hair over her shoulder and sitting down. Brigit followed suit, throwing an owl treat at Artemis absentmindedly.

"Cheeky little thing, aren't you, Evans? I can see why Prongs has a thing for you." Sirius stuck his tongue out playfully. Lily turned that deep shade of tomato red again.

"Doth mine ears deceive-ith me?" Came a voice from the hallway. "Pads, what are you doing? We're trying to play exploding snap and you keep leavin' the game!" The boy called James Potter poked his head in the door.

"Sorry, Prongs. I'm coming," Brigit had a feeling that James was the only one who Sirius would listen to, headstrong as he was.

"'Bye, Evans. Miss me yet?" James taunted at Lily, who turned away with a soft "hmph!" Sirius laughed at James's expression of disbelief and the pair walked from the room.

"Thank god," Lily sighed. "So," she said, turning back around and facing Brigit, "tell me about yourself! Where are you changing schools from?"

"I used to go to a school in America. New York, to be exact." Lily's eyes widened in wonder.

"Really? How exciting!"

"You'd be surprised how exciting it isn't. It's the same as any other school. It might even be worse…it's a lot harder to hide a community of underage witches and wizards in a busy place like New York City. We have to be really careful, we're not allowed to go anywhere without supervision." Brigit explained. Lily wrinkled her nose.

"Small price to pay for living in an exciting city like that!" Lily smiled. "Why are you transferring?"

"My dad got transferred back to St. Mungo's. He's a healer. He had to move so we went with him. Parrrrr-tay." Brigit sighed sadly.

The two girls chatted and laughed most of the morning. When the lunch trolley came around, the plump witch was smiling when she came to Brigit's compartment.

"I've been told by some young gentlemen in the next compartment that, and these are their words, not mine, dearies, "if you want to eat lunch, you are to come to their compartment to dine with them." She winked at them. "But feel free to buy anything from me that you'd like, dears." Brigit sighed.

"Thank you, ma'am. We'll go to their compartment," Lily looked up, livid.

"Speak for yourself!"

"You're going to make me go there by myself?!" Brigit looked at Lily, who seemed to be wavering.

"N-no…no, I guess not. Fine! But I'm not happy about it!" Lily conceded, frowning.

"Sure, sure," Brigit smirked, "not happy about it at all!"

The witch with the trolley rolled on to the next compartment, chuckling. Brigit stood and stretched, Lily eyeing her angrily. "Oh, c'mon Lils! It'll be fun! We can go make fun of them over lunch, then run back here and lock them out! They'll never stop if we don't just go over there."

Lily sighed. "You're right. Let's go."

To Lily's delight, both James and Sirius were absent from the compartment when they entered. An attractive boy was sitting in a corner, reading a textbook.

"Hey, Remus," Lily greeted him. The boy looked up, smiling. He said hello to Lily, and then made eye contact with Brigit.

Brigit felt like she was suddenly plunged deep under water, caught unawares. Something in those chocolate brown eyes and delicate features stirred up something in Brigit's throat. Behind those eyes, those gorgeous, desperate eyes laid a dark secret. Something Brigit knew all about.

"Brigit? Brigit!" Lily whacked her on the shoulder.

"Hmm?" Brigit sputtered, coming back to Earth.

"This is Remus Lupin, a fellow prefect and the best of the four marauders," Lily said, eyeing Brigit mysteriously. Remus stood slowly, reaching out his hand. Brigit took it, staring at him.

"Nice to meet you, Brigit," Remus said, smiling.

Brigit took his hand gently. "You as well, Remus." The compartment door slid shut with a soft _thud_. Within, Brigit spoke suddenly. "What's a marauder?"

* * *

"Merlin she's gorgeous," thought Remus, unable to hide his smile as he shook hands with Brigit. When they had locked eyes earlier, he had felt a tightening in the pit of his stomach that had nothing to do with motion sickness. He was extremely attracted to her from the moment she walked in with Lily, and was finding it very hard to focus on what Lily was saying. He attempted to not stare at Brigit, yet he slipped often. Unfortunately, James and Sirius stepped in not much later, ruining whatever kind of moment they may have had. He reluctantly turned his eyes away from the beauty to greet his friends.

* * *

"STOP!!" James exclaimed suddenly. "Oh please stop. I can't handle this. School hasn't even started yet! I demand to have the rest of my summer, damn it!" Brigit and Remus laughed in unison. Soprano and tenor bells chiming.

"If you insist, oh arrogant one," Brigit smirked and James looked outraged. Remus and her had been discussing their text books in depth, as both of them had read most of them before stepping foot on the train.

After her anticlimactic introduction to Remus, James and Sirius had joined them with lunch. A mousey boy had followed them in, practically drooling in anticipation. Something about the boy rubbed Brigit the wrong way. He was apparently quite fond of worshipping his friends, and there was an odd quality about him that Brigit couldn't put her finger on.

Shortly after lunch, Lily disappeared with a pretty girl she introduced as Alice, and a shy girl named Mary. Lily was eager for Brigit to join her, but Brigit seemed reluctant to, so Lily merely gave her the compartment number she would be in, and left Brigit to flirting with Sirius.

Remus, on the other hand, was desperate for Brigit to stay in his compartment. She and Sirius were flirting mercilessly, which made anger rise in the back of his throat, but he was happy just to have her near him. After a long while, the train finally slowed to a stop in the Hogsmeade station and they assembled their trunks and threw on their robes. Brigit left them then, straying off to join the first years in the boats with Hagrid, who she seemed in awe of.

The four boys hopped in a horseless carriage in anticipation for the coming feast. James was sitting next to Peter, across from Sirius and Remus.

"Merlin, that girl is something," Sirius was saying. Remus frowned at his friend.

"Who?" Remus lied, pretending to have no idea to whom Sirius was referring.

"Who do you think, Moony? Brigit! It seems this year will be considerably better than last with her around," Sirius smirked. Remus had the sudden urge to hit him. Being a fairly passive person, this feeling came as a surprise, and he quickly suppressed it.

"Don't you go making her another one of your conquests," Remus warned, "she deserves better than that, Pads," Sirius looked at his curiously.

"How would you know? I thought you only met her today on the train."

"Just because I have a sense of decency about women's feelings you've never possessed doesn't mean—"

"I have decency about women's feelings!"

"Yeah, right. Even if that was true, the thing hanging between your legs always manages to come first—"

"Would you two shut up?" James said suddenly. "We're here and I'm starving!" Remus and Sirius glared at each other for a minute and then laughed. Sirius bopped him over the head as they walked together into the stunning Great Hall. After they had sat down, Sirius looked sullen again.

"What's wrong, Padfoot?" Peter asked. Sirius looked at Remus.

"Do you really think I don't have a decency about women's feelings?"


	3. Chapter 3

**There are just not enough hours in the day. Oh, my God. BUT! Here's the next chapter of A Howl and a Song. Has anyone figured out Brigit's secret yet? No? Too soon? You'll know soon enough! Sort of a short chapter, haven't had much time lately. **

**I'm going to host a contest for anyone who guesses Brigit's secret before I post the next chapter. Winner gets a prize (and by prize, I don't mean anything material)! Just submit a review with your guess and I'll reply back with a yes or no. Onward, brave soldiers!**

While the older students made their way into the Great Hall, Brigit was still making her way across the lake with the other 'ickle firsties.' Having hopped quickly into the closest boat and seating herself at the very front, she took her first look at her new home.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was the epitome of enchanted; the beautifully crafted turrets and ugly gargoyles…the massive expanse of grassy lawns and, to her delight, in the distance shone the tips of the hoops from a Quidditch field. The candles in each window welcomed her in from the cold, and she was eager to get off of the wobbly boats. She walked quickly, excited, to meet a stern looking witch who had the look of a beautiful woman who just needed a bit of fun.

Professor Minerva McGonagall, clad in her traditional emerald green robes, greeted Brigit with a tight lipped smile. As Brigit drew nearer, the Professor pulled her away from the first years.

"Miss Major, I assume?" McGonagall said in hushed tones. "Professor Dumbledore is expecting you in his office for a private sorting, to spare you the sorting with the first years. Follow me, if you please," she started off at once at a brisk walk. After quite a long walk the pair reached the gargoyle guarding the Headmaster's office. The professor gave the password _(Pumpkin Juice)_ and they stepped on the revolving spiral staircase.

Dumbledore greeted them with a hearty "Come in!" and Brigit stepped tentatively into the magnificent office. The sorting hat was waiting for her, perched innocently on the desk.

"Ah, Miss Major," Dumbledore said pleasantly while gesturing for her to sit down. "Minerva, if you would please leave us and wait until I call you in?" McGonagall looked stunned for a minute, and then nodded quickly and closed the door behind her. Brigit was starting to get nervous. _What in the world is this about?_ Sitting herself down hesitantly, Brigit looked into Dumbledore's shining blue eyes.

"Now, I assume you do not know why you are here," he began slowly. Brigit nodded. "Well, as Professor McGonagall undoubtedly said, one reason is to save you the, for lack of a better word, embarrassment of being sorted with the other new students. This is the first thing we will be taking care of, and then we can continue our conversation. If you would, Miss Major."

Brigit took the weathered old hat and placed it delicately on her head and almost immediately heard a soft voice speaking in her ear.

"Well, well, I never thought I'd see the day…" taunted the sorting hat. Brigit scowled. "You have a monster inside of you, growing, waiting for you to finally lose your strength. Dear me, what to do!"

"You could just sort me," muttered Brigit mutinously. The sorting hat chuckled.

"Well, Hufflepuff is out of course, as is Ravenclaw…" Out of the corner of her eye, Brigit could see Dumbledore smiling faintly. "Slytherin is the best place for a creature like you, I think," the sorting hat continued.

"No." Brigit thought furiously. "I won't go there; you can't put me in Slytherin!"

**(Now, we all know of course that Brigit won't be in Slytherin, we don't know nearly enough characters for that plot to work! But suspend belief for the time being, won't you, gentle readers?)**

"Oh very well!" snapped the sorting hat. "Then, I say, GRYFFINDOR!" The hat yelled this last word into the nearly empty room. Brigit took the hat off of her head numbly. Was she really that suited for Slytherin?

"Well, that seemed easy enough to convince, didn't it?" Dumbledore eyed her closely and Brigit blushed. Dumbledore smiled his knowing smile at the young girl. "Minerva?" McGonagall rushed back in and took the sorting hat from his extended hand, hurrying out again to begin sorting the first years.

"I don't think I should be in Slytherin just because my…background…leaves something to be desired," Brigit defended as McGonagall shut the door firmly behind her again.

"Nor do I, Miss Major, nor do I!" Dumbledore responded. "And on that note…" he trailed off for a moment, his blue eyes staring into her fierce green ones. He sighed, regretting very much that this conversation was necessary.

"Brigit," he surprised her by using her first name, "you must be very careful during your time at Hogwarts. I fear your condition would make it very easy for you to be manipulated and used by the wrong people. I would hate for anything like that to happen. You must exercise immense caution with who you choose as your friends and—"

"--be sure not to _tell_ anyone until I'm sure they can be trusted, no island magic, and no revealing my full powers even if they _can_ be trusted. Yeah, my dad gave me this lecture before coming here," Brigit interrupted rudely, "Professor," she added on quickly. Dumbledore gave another great sigh.

"I am afraid that is how things _must be_, Brigit. It just isn't safe for anyone of your kind to reveal themselves in the wizarding world anymore. I want to stress how important it is for you to restrain your self when you feel a strong emotion, good or bad. You know very well the consequences," he looked at her narrowly above his half-moon glasses. Brigit nodded warily.

"None of the other teachers know of your condition. I am afraid," Dumbledore added, with a note of sadness in his aged voice, "that in these ever changing times, even the best of wizards cannot always be trusted." Brigit stared at her lap, feeling guilty.

"Well then!" Dumbledore clapped his hands together and rose from his chair, Brigit following suit. "It seems we have a feast to get to! Go and sit with your new housemates and, if you should ever have any questions, please feel free to come to me at any time. I'm sure you will enjoy yourself here, Miss Major, if you let yourself."


	4. Chapter 4

**God I love weekends. Go ahead, read, review and all that jazz.**

Making her way slowly down the elegant corridors, Brigit reached the Great Hall and, listening closely, heard that the sorting of the first years was over. Sighing and straightening her robes she rounded the corner and took in the enormous room; the bewitched ceiling twinkled with stars and Brigit smiled to herself.

At a quick glance Brigit saw her new house table at the other end of the hall. _This is going to suck._ She was faced with a similar problem as on the train: she had nobody to sit with. The house table was packed, groaning with delicious food and filled to the brim with excited students. Through the din she heard a familiar voice calling out her name.

"Brigit! Brigit, over here!" Brigit looked up to see Lily running towards her, apparently very excited. "You're in Gryffindor! I'm so excited! Come sit with Mary, Alice and I!" As they passed, Sirius reached back and tugged on her robes flirtatiously.

"Or, if you like, you could join us for dinner," Sirius smirked and Remus snorted into his pumpkin juice. Though, Brigit noticed, he had a slightly hopeful look on his face.

"She's taken for the evening, Sirius. Paws off," **(Haha, ironic.)** Lily glared and tugged Brigit away with her. Laughing and smiling widely, Brigit followed dutifully and took her seat next to Mary.

"Where were you? The first years were sorted ages ago," Lily asked, helping herself to more chicken.

"Dumbledore's office. He didn't think it was necessary for me to wait with the first years and have everyone stare at me."

"That was nice of him," Alice piped in, smiling at Brigit.

"Yeah, I wish I could have done that," Mary laughed. "I felt like a total moron sitting on that stool talking to a hat."

* * *

"It's only a matter of time before she finally succumbs to my charm," Sirius said confidently as the girls passed. He had no shame in staring at her retreating figure, liking what he saw.

"Sure, sure," James said, eyeing the girls as well. Though it was probably the pretty redhead that had caught his eye…Remus restrained himself from looking up and staring blatantly as well.

"There's something about her…" Sirius mused, sipping his pumpkin juice thoughtfully. "Something different that than the cows that go here."

"And it's so amazing that you don't have a girlfriend, Padfoot," Remus spouted.

"I don't want a girlfriend I want quick shags. There's a difference," Sirius retorted, leering.

"Gee, really? I had no idea,"

"We need to get you shagged too, Moony. Maybe then you'd appreciate my talents."

"I wouldn't call them talents exactly…"

* * *

Later, after ice cream had been heavily consumed and forks licked clean, Dumbledore stood up at his chair at the high table, and silence shuddered through the students.

"Good evening and welcome to another year!" Dumbledore's smile was infectious. "Welcome back to those students returning, and greetings to those new students joining our tables today," his hands swept out in front of him, embracing one and all. "I know that your warm beds are waiting for you, so I will be brief," he paused, "I would like to introduce you all to some new members of our staff," he continued. As he spoke their names, they each stood up and gave a little bow or wave. "Professor Dave Acantha who will be teaching Herbology and Professor Robin Eurus who will be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"Whoa," Brigit heard Alice and Mary whisper in unison. She and Lily exchanged glances; it was obvious what they were gawking at. The entire female population of students was suddenly whispering and some even openly pointing at the new teacher.

Professor Dave Acantha was one of the most handsome men Brigit had ever seen. His ebony hair fell gracefully over his shining sapphire eyes and, though he was clothed in black teachers robes, his muscular shoulders and chest showed even through the thick fabric.

Dumbledore smiled knowingly and held up his hands for silence. "I would like to make a few announcements that should be noted by all. The Forbidden Forest is, obviously, forbidden, as well as the Whomping Willow. I would urge you all to refrain from going near either of these. The list of prohibited items has now grown to contain three hundred and fifty six items and can be viewed on Mr. Filch's office door." Sirius and James grinned at each other. "And now, I would like to introduce you all to a transfer student from the Expedition Academy in New York, Brigit Major."

Brigit felt all eyes turn on her and her face burned. She glared at Lily, who was giggling next to her. "You're going to be the most popular girl in school," Alice whispered to her across the table.

"Why?"

"The people here love new things," Mary explained in hushed tones, "they get excited over nothing. You're new, so you're exciting." They were interrupted by everyone around them standing up and making their way out the huge doors. Apparently Dumbledore had dismissed the school. "C'mon, you're in our room."

Lily stood and, adjusting her prefect's badge, walked over to Remus and they started to round up the remaining first years. Brigit felt eyes on her, and she turned to see Remus staring at her with a small smile playing on his lips.

* * *

Finally in bed, Brigit stared up at the ceiling, listening to the wind blow in the trees outside. Something in Remus' eyes made her heart beat faster and heat course through her body. Every time she closed her eyes she pictured his angelic face, marred with scars from the ailment Brigit was almost certain he possessed…she could still feel the pressure of his hand on hers as he passed her a sandwich earlier at lunch…

_Ugh._ Brigit buried her head in the pillow. What was going on with her? She was used to people like Sirius: flirty, sinfully handsome and used to getting whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. But, instead of falling for his wit and charm, she was focused on his quiet friend. The responsible, caring, gentle…she shook her head. _Just go to sleep and forget about it._ She willed herself silently. _Now isn't the time to be falling for some werewolf._

* * *

Time seemed to fly by as Brigit adapted to her classes and grew even closer with Alice, Mary, and Lily. However, there was one of her roommates she wasn't getting along with. Scarlet Cameron was tall, blonde, helplessly slutty, and, to top it off, a bitch. The first night in their room she had made it clear that Brigit was to "stay the hell out of her way" and other delightful phrases like that. Since then, the two hotheaded girls had been at odds almost every day, at one point erupting into a full-on cat fight that excited Sirius to the point of tears from laughter. Fortunately, Brigit was a much better dueler and Scarlet was the one who spent the night in the hospital wing. She served detention in Filch's command, which was anything but pleasant, yet totally worth it.

Even Sirius, who would pretty much bring anything in a short skirt to bed, wasn't interested in Scarlet. She was completely oblivious of this, and continued to stalk Sirius and was, in fact, the leader of the "Sirius Black is a Sex God Fan Club" or SBIASGFC, as James was known to call it.

Anyway, Scarlet seemed to decide that her best bet into getting into Sirius's pants was to make Brigit's life miserable. She was the Gryffindor equivalent of Malfoy, if you will. Sirius was blissfully unaware of her intentions and continued to flirt shamelessly with Brigit every chance he got.

Remus and Brigit made eye contact frequently and, pretending it wasn't so, both felt their chests tighten and hearts beat faster at the sight of one another. Brigit's special abilities had made it easy for her to see that Remus was a werewolf and this didn't bother her in the least. So, after discovering Dumbledore had arranged a Halloween dance for the school, Brigit decided to ask Remus to accompany her. Now the only question was how she was going to do it.

* * *

"Hey, Remus?" Brigit came up behind him two weeks before the big dance. He was sitting in an arm chair in front of the fire, working submissively on a potions essay.

"Mmm?"

"Would you…" she paused, and Remus looked up. Was that hope in his eyes? "Would you help me with my essay for transfiguration?" Brigit chickened out.

"Oh," Remus said, his face dropping a little, "sure, bring it down and I'll read over it."

"Thanks," she sighed. In truth, she had finished the essay a week ago, but asking him seemed so…irresponsible. She had tossed and turned all night at what her parents would say when they found out. They didn't have a problem with werewolves. They did, however, have a problem with Brigit dating. For several reasons it was very unsafe for her to engage in intimate activities with anyone. Men, young men in particular, were very dangerous for her to be around. Was it worth it to sacrifice what could be a great relationship for his potential safety? She'd never had a problem before, but then, she hadn't felt like this about any of her previous boyfriends.

She grabbed her completed essay and brought it back down, figuring it was easier to lie and say she was confused about what she wrote than rewriting it. Scarlet passed her on the spiral stairs, glaring and flicking her bleach blonde hair over her shoulder indignantly. Brigit rolled her eyes in response.

"Okay," Remus said slowly, once she had returned. He was reading her essay with interest. "This essay is better than mine, what are you confused about?"

"Oh," Brigit flushed, coming up with a quick lie, "I just copied that from the text book. I don't understand any of the theory."

"Well," Remus moved closer to her (she could feel heat rise up to her face) and opened his book over their laps. "When you take a complex object…"

* * *

Twelve days before the dance.

* * *

Seven days. _Ugh. I just need to suck it up and do it._

* * *

Four. _Ohmygod. Ohmygod. Ohmygod._

* * *

The day before. _Sweet Jesus._

"Hey, Remus?" Brigit approached him hesitantly.

"Mmm?"

"Willyougotothedancewithme?" Brigit stuttered, nervous for the first time in her life. Remus looked up suddenly, his eyes wide.

"What did you say?"

Brigit took a deep breath. "I would love it if you would go to the Halloween dance with me," she said firmly, staring right into his gorgeous eyes. He smiled widely.

"And I would love to take you."

"REALLY?!" Brigit exclaimed, laughing and throwing herself down next to him on the couch. He joined in her laughing.

"Of course! I was going to ask you two weeks ago when I was helping you with that essay, but I chickened out."

"Story of my life."

"MOONY AND BRIGIT SITTIN' IN A TREE! K-I-S-S-I-N—OOMPH!" Sirius had come up behind them and Brigit had thrown a pillow at him violently. He grinned impishly. "It's about time, you two. I was getting sick of watching you two staring at each other."

"Yeah, 'cause you're so subtle, Sirius." Brigit stuck her tongue at him.

"This is true. MOONY! COME ON! WE HAVE TO GO DECIDE WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO WEAR ON YOUR DATE WITH BRIGIT!" Sirius was screaming, and he grabbed Remus by the underarms and heaved him up the stairs, all the while laughing at his pleas to let him go. The entire common room was staring at her. _Oh well. This, I can handle them staring at me over. At least it's something good. It's better than them knowing the truth."_

* * *

"Was that really necessary, Pads?" Remus complained as he was finally released, massaging his arms.

"Yes, because now you need to tell me about what's going on? Have I been flirting with a lost cause? I expected better than this from you, Moony. Why didn't you tell me you had the hots for Brigit? I'd have left her alone if I'd know. You know that."

"Yes, I do, but why bother telling you if she didn't like me back?" Remus justified, sitting on his bed.

"What's this I hear?" James sauntered into the room. "You're going on a date with Brigit? That's pretty soon for you, Moony! I'm impressed. It seems Padfoot and I here have had a good impression on you." Remus flushed.

"It _is_ soon, isn't it?" Sirius and James glared at him.

"Don't you start with that," James warned, wagging his finger.

"She's gorgeous, single, and into you. Why should you wait? That's how you have a relationship, Remus," Sirius said seriously. **(Hahahaha)**"You like someone, and they like you back, and you get to know each other, and you live happily ever after."

Remus stared at him. "Where's this insight coming from?" Sirius flushed and looked at his feet.

"You could be so incredibly happy," he said slowly, "if you would just let yourself."


	5. Chapter 5

**I LOVE all you reviewers and readers! Keep them coming, they inspire me to write more! More clues about Brigit this chapter, as well as the lovely Halloween dance. So…that dance thing…completely cliché I know, but it fits into my plot very well. A twist will be coming soon, so be prepared.**

"I'm a FOOL." Remus snarled at himself, shoving his books into his bag and throwing himself on the bed with a sigh.

"What now?" James asked brightly, practically skipping into the room.

"Don't talk to me, Prongs. Just go away."

"Ooh, aren't we touchy? What's this about? Your brunette dump you an hour before the dance?" James sat next to Remus on the bed, eyeing his friend with concern. He usually didn't look this bad when there wasn't a full moon in the next couple days and the dark circles under his eyes and pale complexion was clue enough.

"I'm so stupid. Why did I agree to this?" The miserable werewolf buried his face in his hands.

"Agree to what?"

"Go to the dance with Brigit!"

"Because…you wanted to?" James questioned sarcastically. "What's this about, Moony?"

"I'm ending it. Right now. I'm going to get up and go see her and tell her the date's off."

"An hour before?! That's low, Remus. You should know better," James criticized, frowning.

"I _do_ know better! That's why I can't continue this," Remus stood and, running his fingers through his hair, paced the length of the room.

"That doesn't make sense." James stood as well, grabbing Remus by the arms and forcing him to look around.

"Yes, it does."

"No, it doesn't. Why can't you just let yourself be happy? You did the same thing with Aimee, Moony, and you were depressed for weeks after you broke it off." Remus looked at him with disdain.

"I can make decisions for myself, Prongs. Let me go." He wiggled out of James' grasp and walked to the door. Pausing, he turned around with a sad look on his face. "I'm saving her a lot of grief. Dating a werewolf isn't exactly everyone's idea of true love."

­

* * *

"You. Look. HOT." Lily squealed in delight, straightening Brigit's skirt and fluffing her hair. Brigit blushed crimson. Though she wouldn't admit it, she was desperately looking forward to this date and decided she needed to look her very best.

The Prefect's had decided to make this dance costume only, which many of the boys were dreading and most of the girls were giggling about. Brigit decided to go classic and sexy: Renaissance princess. Her emerald green dress made her eyes even more prominent and shining and she had woven gold ribbons into her chestnut curls to match the hems of her sleeves and neckline. She had to agree with Lily…she looked pretty great.

Lily, however, looked exquisite in her white gown. Going as an angel, she had enchanted a halo to float over her thick red locks and wings to flutter as she walked. She was accompanying, much to everyone's delight, James Potter to the dance. She was still wary of him and his antics, but he had settled down enough over the summer for her to consider him.

Alice, as a cat, and Mary, as a fairy, had joined the two friends in getting ready for the dance three hours earlier. The four of them were overjoyed at the idea of dressing to the nines and impressing all of the younger girls. Just as the girls were finishing up the curling of the hair and the applying of the makeup, Scarlet came in looking smug.

"Hey, Major," Scarlet sneered. She looked slutty and ridiculous in her 'innocent school girl gone bad' costume, which is probably exactly what she wanted. "Your bookworm wants you downstairs. It sounded bad, hope he isn't ditching you," she smirked and walked into the bathroom. Lily glared after her.

"I really hate that girl."

"Join the club. I'll see you guys at the dance," Brigit smiled and left the room, slightly worried. She walked carefully down the stairs and into the common room, searching the crowded room for the eyes she was desperate to see. She spotted him sitting in a chair by the fire, and their eyes met. She looked at his grave face and saw sadness in his eyes.

* * *

_You can do this. Just walk over there and tell her the dates off._ He stared into her jade eyes and took in her costume. She had chosen perfectly, her dress was tight in just the right places and she looked sophisticated and beautiful. Exactly what he wanted in a woman. _She_ was exactly what he wanted, and he was throwing it away to save her.

As she made her way over to him, maneuvering through the excited crowd of students, he felt like he was making a mistake. How desperately he wanted to feel her hand against his, to twirl a cinnamon lock in between his scarred fingers, to feel her lips pressed against his…

"Hey," she said softly, approaching him hesitantly. "Ready to go?" He practically melted when she pressed her hand against his shoulder, her succulent perfume swirling all around him. He shook his head to rid himself of the sensation, and turned to face her.

"Brigit," his voice cracked, "Brigit, I can't go to the dance with you." He looked away so he wouldn't have to see her face. "I'm sorry, I just don't like you like that, and I didn't want to lead you on—"

"If you didn't want to lead me on, you shouldn't have accepted the date _yesterday_ or let me get ready _four hours ago_!" He stared up at her, and her face was livid.

"I'm sorry," was all he could muster. "I just—"

"Yeah, whatever, Remus. Have a nice life." She stalked away back to the girls' dormitories, her long dress billowing out elegantly behind her.

* * *

Brigit slammed the dormitory door behind her, kicking off her embroidered flats in fury. Lily looked up in alarm.

"What are you doing back here? Why aren't you with Remus?" She stopped at the look on Brigit's face. "Oh, Bri…"

"He ditched me, Lils. An hour before the dance. Who _does_ that?!" Brigit tore at her bed hangings in anger.

"Not someone like Remus…" Lily said slowly.

Brigit snorted. "Right."

Lily frowned. This wasn't like Remus at all. He didn't just ditch girls he obviously liked an hour before a dance…something was up, and she was going to figure it out. "Are you still going to the dance?"

Brigit paused. "Yes," she said slowly, "I'm not going to let him ruin my fun. I'll go and find someone gorgeous he hates to have a great time with." _Vindication is the best medicine for a broken heart. _

"Then let's go down now. I can grab James, he won't object to me touching him, I'm sure, and we can strut our stuff down the dance without even looking in Remus' direction. Sound good?" Lily pulled on Brigit's sleeve, helping her up. "You look too gorgeous not to be seen," she smiled. Brigit smiled back.

"And you look like a vixen. James won't be able to function."

Lily's eyes sparkled. "That's the plan!"

* * *

The 'not looking in Remus' direction' plot went smoothly, and Brigit walked down to the Great Hall with Mary, who was going stag. Pretty soon she had put her bad mood aside and resolved to genuinely have a good time. The music was infectious and the food was addicting, a dangerous combination. After a good half an hour of (rather sexy) dancing, Brigit was ready for a rest. Leaving her protesting girlfriends behind, she found a table and sat down, massaging her aching feet.

"Can I have the next dance?" She looked to see Sirius, striking as ever, grinning at her. He was dressed in a plain white t-shirt and dirty jeans with a piece of parchment taped to his chest that read 'noun'. This was evidently his costume. Without invitation, he sat down next to her and took one of her feet in his hands. Just as she was about to protest, he slid off the silk slipper and proceeded to knead her feet. Sighing in contentment, she allowed him full access of her foot and a smile in return.

"You sure you have the time? There's a pretty long queue waiting for a dance," Brigit smirked and Sirius looked in the same direction as she was, at the ever-growing group of fan girls that was currently stalking him.

"They can wait," he said impishly, throwing them a wink. The squeals could be heard from across the room. "You know, Remus didn't want to ditch you tonight."

Brigit froze. "Oh? Then why did he?" She didn't wait for a response. "You don't have to justify his actions, Sirius. It's no big deal, we only planned this yesterday. I barely know him and it's not like we were in love." Sirius sighed.

"Brigit—"

"C'mon, let's dance!" Brigit interrupted, seizing him by the hand and leading him to the packed dance floor. The bass was pulsing and contagious as the bodies were pressed closer and closer together. She felt her inhibitions lowering as he pulled her body closer to his. Twining her arms around his neck, she felt his hands run along her hips as they swayed to the beat…

* * *

_Why am I doing this? _Sirius thought to himself as he felt his body react to Brigit's warm touch. _She's Moony's girl..._ But, as he pulled her closer and gazed into her alluring eyes, nothing mattered any more. Not Remus, not the group of students watching, nothing…he stared into her eyes for only a moment longer before claiming her lips with his own.

* * *

"Moony, whatever you do, don't look on the dance floor." James' voice shook Remus from his reverie.

"Well now I _have_ to look, Prongs," Remus smiled. His smile slipped from his face as he saw Sirius and Brigit kissing fiercely in each others arms. He stared, not believing his own eyes. "What…how…I…" he tore his eyes away to meet James' eyes. In them he saw pity and guilt. He suddenly felt fury instead of sadness. Who the hell did Sirius think he was? He knew perfectly well that Remus still felt something for Brigit! He could understand her kissing Sirius, but Sirius kissing back? Doing the very thing Remus so longed to do himself?

Unable to stand any more, he got up quickly from the table and, ignoring James' and Lily's calls, ran as fast as he could back to the common room. Throwing himself yet again down onto his bed, he felt his throat tighten and couldn't stop the anger that pulsed through him. _I'll just have to have a little chat with dear Padfoot…_

**A/N: dramatic chord BUM BUM BUMMMMMMMMM. Sorry everyone, this had to happen. How else would our dear werewolf realize his true feelings? Reviews please!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Did I ever mention what grade they're all in? If I didn't, they're in seventh. If I did, and I said something other than seventh, then I lied. The muses have left me for the moment (tear) so I'll try to make this chapter not crap. Oh, and, for those slow readers, anything in bold is authors comments. So when I add in my sarcastic remarks, it has nothing to do with the story. Continuing on…**

Remus awoke with a start at the sound of his other roommates returning to the dormitories. He was instantly awake and ready to deck it out with a certain friend of his. Peering between his bed hangings, he saw Sirius and James whispering in the corner, in front of James' bed. Sirius seemed to feel his eyes and he turned to stare at Remus. Neither one said anything. Remus pulled his hangings aside and stepped out, never dropping Sirius' gaze. They two had a stare-off while James, Peter, and their other roommate, Frank, made some random excuse to leave and left the two alone. Sirius broke the silence first.

"Moony…I…I—"

"Lost for words, are you?" Remus' voice was cold, and it surprised even him. Sirius stared at him, not recognizing his friend. "You know, Sirius, this wouldn't bother me if I thought you actually cared for her. But you don't. This is going to mean _nothing_ to you once it's over. You can have any girl in the whole damn school, Sirius! Why her? Why the one girl I've got feelings for?" He was yelling now and Sirius looked as though he had been slapped across the face.

"You think you know everything," he snarled in response, recovering quickly. He took a step forward. "Maybe I _do_ have feelings for Brigit. Well, guess what! _You're_ the one that ditched _her_! You've only known her for two months, Remus! Maybe you're so sexually frustrated that you needed something sexy to look at while feeling sorry for yourself—" CRACK.

Remus had stepped forward and punched Sirius, hard, in the nose, as hard as he could. Being a very fit and young werewolf that constituted quite a bit of power; staring down at Sirius sprawled on the floor, he grabbed his wand from inside his cloak. Sputtering, Sirius stared at Remus in complete shock.

"Don't you ever say that again, you skirt-chasing, Casanova, testosterone driven ass!" Remus growled. "You think I like seeing you groping random girls every time I walk into the room? You think I like hearing you brag about how much shagging your doing? I couldn't care LESS, you idiot! How can you look me in the _face _while you're busy making Brigit into a notch on your headboard?! How can you show your face in school every day?! HOW CAN YOU TREAT PEOPLE LIKE THEY ONLY LIVE TO SERVE YOU, SIRIUS?! HOW?! He roared, years of resentment and fury erupting from him.

And with that, he strode from the room and down the stairs. He passed Brigit in the common room who looked away when she saw him coming. _Just great. _Remus thought to himself angrily, walking briskly down to the Kitchens, just to have something to do. _What the hell was Sirius thinking? _All he could picture was the two of them on the dance floor…their bodies melded together, so much that it was hard to tell where Brigit stopped and Sirius began; he could still picture her dress flow down her elegant body. God, how he longed to hold her in his arms. He had been dreaming of her lips…her perfect, luscious, ruby red lips. And they had touched Sirius' first. The image was burned into the back of his eyelids. And he was so furious he couldn't even control his steps. Narrowly avoiding hitting a wall, Remus balled up his hands into a fist. He walked for nearly an hour, trying to clear his head. He had overreacted terribly back there, and he knew eventually he would have to apologize. _Not like every word of it wasn't true_. He growled to himself.

_He knows how much I like Brigit!_ He stopped cold. _But…what if he doesn't?_ Pivoting on his heels, Remus ran back to the Gryffindor common room and up the stairs. He had to know, before any more judgments were made. He found Sirius in the showers and he paused outside the curtain separating them.

"Pads?" Remus called out softly, remorseful. A grunt was all he got in reply. "I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have hit you. I said some awful things to you, and I'm sorry. But…" he paused. He heard Sirius take a deep breath.

"You know what, Moony? I don't really wanna talk now. Come back with your half-hearted apology later."

Remus stared at the curtain so hard it could have caught on fire. "Fine." He snapped, more furious than before. "Fine. Enjoy washing away your shame, Sirius." Remus stomped to the door and, glancing back at the offending shower curtain, retrained the urge to punch Sirius senseless. _Who the _hell_ does he think he is?!_

* * *

After the dance, Brigit had walked slowly back to Gryffindor Tower, running her hands along the silky smooth yards of fabric covering her. She felt like a total idiot; she had only kissed Sirius back to make Remus jealous, to have fun. Now she felt terrible…but the deed was done. Sirius was probably gloating right now in the dormitory about how he would shag her within the week. She felt disgusted with herself. _I'll go back to Gryffindor Tower and find Sirius and explain how I made a mistake. Then I'll find Remus and apologize for being a bitch. There, no harm no foul._

As she sat down in a comfy armchair by the fire, trying to figure out what she was going to say, she looked up just in time to see Remus completely beside himself with anger. Looking closely, she saw his knuckles were bleeding on his right hand. As he stormed from the room, she got up to follow him. However, as she made her way from the Fat Lady's portrait around the corner as stealthily as she could, a soft voice made her stop in her tracks.

"Miss Major?" Brigit turned to see Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Acantha walking towards her. Stopping in front of her, McGonagall placed a comforting hand on her arm.

"I think you'd better come with us, Major," she drawled in her Scottish tone. "Something has happened." Brigit stared up at her.

Brigit stared up at their sad faces. _Nonononononononono, not again. Please, not again._

* * *

"Please, sit down, Brigit," Dumbledore offered courteously, but she refused with a shake of her head. He sighed. "Brigit," he seemed unsure how to continue.

"Brigit," interjected Professor Acantha. Brigit was still taken aback by his angelic features even though she'd been in his (rather awesome) classes for two months now. "Brigit, something awful has happened."

"I gathered as much, sir" Brigit said wryly, no smile gracing her beatific face. He smile, but it didn't reach his shining eyes.

"Yes, well, I suppose we might as well just say it," he continued, pacing in front of her. McGonagall was sitting next to her, a horrified look on her face.

When Acantha didn't continue, Brigit spoke again. "Look, you're all really freaking me out. Can you just please tell me what's going on before I go ma—"

"Brigit, your mother and father owled us this evening to report that your Aunt Tabatha and Uncle Edmund were found dead in their home earlier this afternoon," Dumbledore said gravely. Brigit stared at him.

"W-what? H-how? What are you talking about?" Brigit felt her throat tighten and clutched onto the chair she was holding for dear life. "Why are you telling me this?!" She demanded fiercely.

"My dear, you know we would never lie about something like this—" Dumbledore said, surprise in his voice.

"No," Brigit interrupted, "no, why are _you_ telling me this? Where are my parents? Shouldn't they be here?" Tears welled up in her eyes and she brushed them away, irritated that she was crying in front of her professors. She hadn't been close to her aunt and uncle, but they were still family. Her mother's only sister left. The other had died in what she imagined a very similar way. The four of them had shared something in common, that secret that only a handful of people knew. Was this why they were killed? Was this another hate-crime of the worst kind?

"Brigit," Acantha said softly, reaching over to pat her on the arm. "Brigit, your parents are coming tonight to meet you. It's our understanding they're going to be taking you into hiding until the murderer is found. You are no longer safe here; someone has discovered your secret." Brigit blinked, not comprehending.

"Into hiding?" She looked into her elders faces, searching for answers. "Was Tabatha killed…was she killed because we're…" she stopped mid-sentence, looking into Dumbledore's kind eyes.

"You may speak freely, Brigit. Professors McGonagall and Acantha are in on the secret now, I'm afraid," he frowned. "They have been trying to prevent this just as I have." Brigit didn't waste her energy trying to figure that out.

"Was Tabatha killed because her, my mother, Penelope and I are…"

**HA. Cliff hanger. Did you really think I was going to give up her secret that easily? You've got to be kidding me! What would the story be if there wasn't mystery?! But now you know that whatever she and her family are is dangerous enough to be killed for. Hmm…interesting. **

* * *

The Next Evening.

"Hey, Sirius," Lily came up behind him in the common room, sitting down next to him. "Have you seen Brigit lately? She didn't come back to the room last night and I haven't seen her since…" she trailed off, looking tentatively at Remus, who was focusing on the book he was reading a little more intently than necessary.

He and Sirius had remained in stony silence for a whopping four hours until Sirius finally cracked with an "OKAY! I CAN'T STAND IT! I CAN'T NOT SPEAK TO YOU ANYMORE!" and the two of them resolved matters as best they could. Remus was still refusing to talk about his feelings of Brigit and Sirius was refusing to back down on his courting of her. They had reached a tense impasse that can only occur in friendships like theirs.

"No," Sirius answered Lily, also looking at Remus. "I haven't seen her since I said goodnight and came up without her. She said she wanted to be alone for a bit, and I didn't press her. Are you worried?"

"She was in the common room last night," Remus muttered from behind the dusty pages. "She must have left."

Lily frowned. "It's not like her to not talk to me," she wound a cherry tress around her finger. James came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders.

"What's up?" He inquired, noting their perplexed expressions.

"We don't know where Brigit is," Peter explained **(Omg, is this his first line in the story? I think it is! Wow! What a big day for Petey!)**. "Have you seen her, Alice, Mary?" The girls had joined them now.

"No, actually we were coming to ask you guys that," Alice said, Frank at her side.

"Lost your precious lamb?" A vicious voice drawled behind them. They all turned to see Scarlet (wearing a ridiculously short skirt and tight tube top) sneering at them. "Hey there, Sirius," she smirked, revealing shining white teeth.

"Last I saw of her, she was being led to Dumbledore's office. Looked pretty upset, the lot of them. Maybe she killed someone."

"Nobody asked you, Scarlet," Lily snapped. "Go away." Scarlet blinked.

"Watch yourself, Evans," she began, but Remus interrupted her.

"Let's go see Dumbledore," he said, standing up and angling his body so Scarlet was completely blocked from view. Sirius, having completely ignored her advances, didn't look at her. They all stood and started out the portrait, but Scarlet grabbed Sirius by the arm as he passed.

"If you ever get tired of that fat whore," she mocked, "feel free to give me a call." Sirius shook himself loose of her and followed the others out, shaking his head in disgust. Scarlet stared after them, royally pissed.

_We'll see how long _this_ lasts. _She thought to herself. _She'll be gone by New Years._

* * *

Slipping a pair of sunglasses over her puffy eyes, Brigit walked out onto the grounds with a sigh. She had spent all night in Dumbledore's office with her parents, pleading for them to let her stay at Hogwarts. They had settled with a compromise, she would stay at Hogwarts until Christmas, when they would reevaluate their situation and decide where she would continue second term. Needless to say, neither party was very happy about this. Brigit had no wish to leave Hogwarts and her parents wanted her as close to them as possible.

_I _am_ a monster._ She thought bitterly to herself. _My aunts died just to protect us. Would I do that? Could I? _

After Professor Acantha had left for the night, his parting words stuck with her. _"You're never alone if you've got us on your side, Miss Major."_

_Ha._ _Right. Brigit_ kicked some pebbles into the Black Lake, watching students hustle in to the castle to avoid the harsh cold. Cold didn't bother her anymore; she barely noticed the weather outside…one of her many talents. Deep in thought, she perched on a rock just outside of the waves the giant squid was creating. Bored and angry (never a good combination), Brigit decided to have a little excitement to the giant squid's dull life. **(Anyone else sense a problem coming up?)**

Stowing her wand in her robes (she had changed into some spare robes McGonagall had brought to Dumbledore's office) she closed her eyes and shook her chestnut mane around her. Turning her hands so her palms were facing up and her arms outstretched. Concentrating very hard, she felt the waves of power pulse through her torso and down her arms. Not daring to look quite yet, she whispered a forbidden incantation in her native tongue to increase the control of her magic. She never did this. She _shouldn't_ do this. But she was. And it felt wonderful, like air after nearly drowning.

Opening her eyes, she saw a horrible storm crashing all around her. Smiling, she lowered her left hand but kept her right arm raised. Flicking her finger like a conductor, she commanded a brutal symphony of waves, thunder, lightning, and wind. She laughed in a voice foreign to her, and her actions suddenly struck a chord with her.

_What am I doing?_ She thought, suddenly frightened. The storm was rising all around her, unyielding and treacherous. A wave crashed next to where she was sitting, nearly pulling her back with its retreat. A feeling of panic swelled in her chest, and she quickly muttered the counter-curse. The wind and storm clouds faded and she exhaled a breath she didn't know she was holding. She heard a twig snap quietly behind her, and she cracked her neck in her haste to see who was behind her staring at her with wide eyes filled with fear and confusion.

_Oh, crap._

**A/N:** **Anyone guessed what Brigit's secret is yet? Let me lay out all the clues for you. She's dangerous, the women in her family are with her in this, and she can control water with extraordinary magic. Here's another hint that might help you out: Her mother's name is Lorelei. Any guesses? R&R!**


	7. Chapter 7

**

* * *

**

Congrats to

_**MoonNightLover**_** who guessed Brigit's secret correctly! Reviewer after my own heart if I do say so myself! The rest of you find out the mystery in this chapter (assuming all goes as planned) as well as who was watching her at the lake. She's a freaky little monster, isn't she? **

**I've got some words in Gaelic here. Uh…I hope they're right. I know not a lot of people actually speak Gaelic but if I offend anyone I'm terribly sorry. I'm using an online translator true to form. I'm only using them as terms of endearment, so just use your best guess. I know I don't care all that much what people are saying, but if you do, message me and I'll tell you.**

**So, I've decided that as I read a book or one of my friends says something funny, I'm going to write it down and use it in here. This has no other purpose than to make me laugh, or smile, or ponder when I look at it later. Some of you may get a kick out of them as well; it **_**should**_** usually refer to something in the story, but maybe not. That's for you to find out! Enjoy!**

**P.S. I'm having a love affair with commas. Forgive me. I'll try to behave myself.**

* * *

"_You're someone else when you're with them," Alice accused Beuvron furiously later._

"_I am," he answered. "Beware us all."_

_Dark Angels,_ Karleen Koen

* * *

Fear in itself has no boundaries. It grips you from the inside out, pulling and twisting your stomach so you feel like if you took another breath, you would die. Immediately following fear is, hopefully, is relief. And relief is both air to the drowning and poison to the dying. Everything is a double edged sword and nothing is.

When the group had gone to Dumbledore's office only to be sent away, the others went back to Gryffindor tower. Unable to satiate his curiosity, Remus wandered around the castle hoping to bump into the young beauty he longed for. Having made his fifth round to the giant oak doors that led to the grounds, Remus peered out of the window in interest.

On a jagged rock he saw Brigit sitting and holding onto herself like she was going to break. Venturing out onto the grounds, both wanting and not wanting to talk to her, he stopped cold. She was now holding her hands out in front of her, palms up, as if doing some sort of hippie prayer. As he watched the waves crash around her and felt the ice cold water spray on his face, he stared in horror as she laughed, high pitched and keening, at the destruction she was causing.

As she (who else would be creating these waves?) settled the current down, he stepped closer. At the sound of his feet cracking a twig, she turned to look at him.

And her eyes burned red like a nightmare come to find him.

* * *

"_Michael! Michael, take Brigit and go! Go now!" The frantic voice of her father carried down the stairs as the heavy pounding at the door increased in tempo and volume. _

"_Where? Where can we go?" Brigit's brother, Michael was panicking. The sound of wood splitting filled the house as whoever was outside made their way brutally in._

"_Away. Onto a train if you must. Take some money," he pulled some galleons out and Michael pocketed them. "Get out of Wales if you can. Your mother and I will find you; just get yourself and your sister safe." _

"_Sors! Oh, Sors, they're coming! Hurry!" The voice of Lorelei Major rang through the house, the pain and frenzy in her voice frightening. A crash and the sound of breaking glass. Brigit whimpered from behind her brother's knees._

"_I'm coming, Lore!" Sors kissed his children on the forehead quickly and, kneeling down in front of a desperately terrified Brigit, mumbled the words he knew would calm her. "You'll be alright, __iníon. Have faith," he squeezed her tiny hands. And with that he was gone._

"_C'mon, Bri!" Michael was pulling at her, running to his room and locking the door behind him._

"_Michael, Michael what's going on?" Brigit sobbed. "Who are those people with masks, Michael?"_

"_Some people are here to hurt you and mum," he explained quickly, ignoring her squeak of fright. "But it's okay; dad and mum are taking care of them. Don't you worry now. We're going to fly away on my broom. Here, hold on tight now." And they flew. Away from their house, up, up, up to the stars. She looked down just in time to see her house completely encased in flames._

* * *

"Remus…I…" Brigit stuttered, staring at him in horror. She could feel the power draining from her quickly. She hadn't used her powers in a long time and they were using all of her strength. "Remus, please, let me explain." The look on his face was torturing her. The terror, the disgust. She slid off of the rock daintily and, walking forward slowly, reached out her hand to him.

"You're a _siren_?!" He growled at her mutinously, wrenching his hand from hers, feeling a burn linger on his skin where she had touched him.

"Yes," she said quietly, surprised he knew so quickly. "But only part, from my mum's side." He stared at her, color slowly draining from his face.

"Brigit," his voice no longer held the fury it had before. It was filled with worry as she wavered on her feet. "Brigit, are you okay? Brigit? BRIGIT!!"

_Darkness._

* * *

Two days after Brigit had fainted in his arms, Remus was still sitting next to her in the hospital wing, refusing to see anyone or leave her side. As far as he was concerned, this was totally his fault. If he hadn't overreacted she probably wouldn't have passed out and in critical condition. _I mean, who am I to react like that? I'm more of a monster then she is. _Needless to say, he felt pretty awful.

"Mr. Lupin?" He opened his eyes to see Dumbledore standing over him, concern in his wise, old eyes. "Miss Major's parents are here, they want to speak with you. Please follow me." They stood and, casting a long glance at Brigit's sleeping form, walked from the room.

Opening the door to Dumbledore's office, Remus peered inside to see the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Lorelei Major, Brigit's mother, was the epitome of stunning. When she spoke it was if soft violins were gently caressing their strings; he felt like he was being wrapped in warm, silky towels straight from the dryer. He felt…at peace.

"Remus Lupin, was it?" A husky voice brought him back to reality. Sors Major was no doubt a handsome man, but he was nothing compared to the beauty of his wife. _And her daughter. _Remus thought suddenly. _Brigit is the spitting image of her mother. _

"Yes, sir. I am so very sorry about Brigit—"

"Oh, she'll be okay," Sors reassured him gently, understanding his preoccupation with his wife. If he wasn't much mistaken, this Remus Lupin was falling in love with his daughter, and he wasn't happy about it. "She sometimes goes through these phases…it's best not to let it bother you too much." Remus stared at him blankly.

"If you please, Mr. Major," Dumbledore interjected quietly, "I am sure Mr. Lupin has some questions, but would it be better first to tell him the…situation? I assure you he is quite capable of keeping a secret." Remus blushed and looked to his lap.

"Okay," Sors sighed, defeated. "Okay, Remus. It's like this…"

* * *

**A/N: Another quick chapter today, I'm completely swamped and the description of Brigit and her family history of sirens was wayyyyy to long to squeeze into one chapter. I'll post tomorrow, hopefully. Thanks for reading! While you're down here…why don't you review? The button is right there, it's much closer than the 'back' button…**


	8. Chapter 8

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This chapter is dedicated to two deities. First, to my good friend Katie who loaned me a few Frank Sinatra CD's and therefore got the creative juices pumping in my brain. Kudos! Second to Wikipedia, without whom this chapter would not exist.

**General Note: Some of the basic information about sirens is true to mythology, but **_**much of it is not. **_**I've taken it upon myself (to fit the plot of the story) to change the myth around. I'm making it up! Don't quote me on anything!**

**Here's what you guys have been waiting for…Brigit's history! Reviews welcome as always (cough-hinthint-cough)! :)**

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"_I have been fooling everyone for years. Sure, I've given up alcohol, but that was nothing compared to my other addiction. Love is the most dangerous craving of all, if you ask me. It turns us into people we aren't. It makes us feel like hell, and makes us walk on water. It ruins us for anything else._

_I like to watch her doing the simplest things: brushing her hair into a ponytail, feeding the dog, tying Sophie's shoelaces, and I want to tell her what she means to me, but I never actually say the words. After all, to acknowledge Delia as a drug, I'd have to face the fact that one day I might have to go without her, and this I can't do."_

_Vanishing Acts, _Jodi Picoult

* * *

"You don't…you don't have to explain everything if you don't want to," Remus muttered charitably, sitting down in front of Dumbledore's enormous desk. "I promise I won't tell anyone, I don't want anything to happen to Brigit."

Lorelei smiled sadly. "I'm afraid it's too late for that, my dear," the endearment sounded natural from her lips and Remus smiled shyly. "You've been drawn into one of the longest wars in history without even knowing it. It is our wish," she gestured at herself and her husband, and Dumbledore raised his hand lightly in assent, "that we give you all of the information and then, at the end, you make your decision. I am so very sorry…" she trailed off.

"We're sorry our daughter dragged you into this," finished Sors, glowering slightly.

Remus took a deep breath. "Okay, I'm listening."

"I wish I had the words to express this adequately," confessed Lorelei slowly as she pulled up a chair beside Remus. "But I'm sorry to say that I don't. The vicious battle between mortals and sirens has been going on secretly for centuries. This is why, of course, both of my sisters were killed. We are hunted and, when found, burned at the stake."

"I'm so sorry," Remus whispered, a feeling of deep pity rising up to his throat. He swallowed carefully.

To his surprise, she smiled. "Thank you, Remus. This will all make more sense as I explain. But, before I get ahead of myself…do you know what a siren is, Remus?"

"Um…beautiful bird-women who sang sailors to their death?"

Lorelei smiled. "Very good. Yes, at one time my ancestors inhabited the island of Sirenum Scopuli. There they lived in relative peace luring, as you said, sailors to their deaths using music. What most people don't know, and history refuses to acknowledge, is that eventually we evolved just like any other species. As magical creatures became, for the most part, a thing of the past, the magic of our powers slowly ebbed away through the generations. It soon became necessary for us to breed, something we had never had to do before.

"Sirens were quite vicious and territorial creatures, so the interspecies breeding took a long time to work. It was thought that sirens were extinct by the time the eighteenth century rolled around, through lack of reproduction or a disease of some sort, we aren't sure. However, it appears that some had survived and had mated with mortals, of all things. Sailors, more likely than not. The genes of the breathtakingly beautiful sirens and that of mortal men ended up making an odd combination. It seems that only certain, unfortunately dangerous, traits of the sirens made it through down the lines.

The siren gene is, obviously, only passed through women. I myself come from one of the main…" she paused for a moment, searching for a word, "I suppose you could call them _clans,_ for lack of a better word. My family is descended directly from the river god Achelous, who was said to be the father of all the sirens. This, in turn, makes us the strongest of the bunch. The alphas, if you will," she smiled kindly.

Remus was trying to take this all in. "Your name…" he considered slowly. "Lorelei. It sounds so familiar…"

"It's an area of the Rhine River where fishermen were drawn to their doom by enchanting songs and music. The phenomenon was never explained. Her mother thought it would be ironic," Sors jumped in, grinning so much like Sirius that Remus had to do a double take. Lorelei waved him off impatiently.

"Yes, well," she continued, flipping a long section of bronze hair over her shoulder. The likeness between her and her daughter was astounding. The only difference Remus could see with his quick evaluation was that Lorelei's hair, though precisely the same shade of brown as Brigit's, fell gracefully down her back in thick, straight locks while Brigit's hair curled gently in organized disorganization. **(That totally makes sense. Don't question it.)** "We aren't necessarily sea goddesses or nymphs, like some believe. We merely have the ability to control the water immediately around us; used for controlling the waves around the sailors' boats I would imagine. As the centuries have gone on and the species evolved into practically nothing, only a few main remnants of our ancestors remain now. We are, for example…" she paused, seemingly troubled for words.

"Extraordinarily beautiful," filled in Sors, smiling at his lovely wife. She smiled gratefully.

"Some may feel," she continued sheepishly. Remus snorted and covered it quickly with a cough. "And most of us are able to manipulate music. I, for instance, have played the piano since I was able to sit up without support. I have never had any coaching but I could sit at a piano with a piece of music I have never seen before and play it at a professional concert." She shrugged as if this was the most natural thing in the world. "Brigit, as you may have noticed, is able to hear a song or tune once and repeat it perfectly as well as play it on a variety of instruments."

He had noticed, of course. What about her _didn't_ he notice? While she was doing her homework or reading in the common room he had heard her humming softly to herself, completely absorbed in whatever she was doing.

"Our musical abilities are drawn from deep inside us, where our souls still remember the times of old. Of course," Lorelei took her husband's hand and squeezed it, "there are extremely dangerous aspects to us as well, like what you witnessed down by the lake earlier."

"If I may, Mrs. Major?" Remus jumped, he had completely forgotten Dumbledore was there. Lorelei nodded at him, settling herself in the chair. "Mr. Lupin, I would like your permission to tell Mr. and Mrs. Major about your condition. I believe it would help you understand their explanation if you had something to compare it to."

Remus stared at him in surprise. "Yes."

"Remus is a werewolf," Dumbledore explained. They didn't look surprised. "He was bitten when he was two years old and has had to live with this unfortunate condition all of his life."

Lorelei made a sound of pity in the back of her throat and put a comforting hand on Remus' forearm. "Poor dear," clucked Lorelei sympathetically. There was a tone in her voice that made Remus question her further.

"It seems like…like you already knew."

"My apologies, Remus. You see, that is another one of the mysteries of being a siren. We are able to know many things about a man's magical make up the moment we make eye contact. I knew at once you were a werewolf. I also knew at once that the nice man down on the grounds was half giant." _Hagrid_, thought Remus to himself. "We are inexplicitly linked to the male generation in many ways, leftovers from our days of singing them to their demise."

"I don't remember much about being bitten," confessed Remus, unable to stand their burning glances any longer. "I don't know what its like to be normal."

"Preaching to the choir," muttered Sors. Remus smiled in spite of himself.

"Well," Lorelei sat up straighter in her chair. As her shirt pulled a bit away from her neck, he noticed a small scar blemishing her flawless skin. "I suppose that does make things easier. I can see why you're able to keep a secret, dear. I can imagine that people are as happy to hear that you're a werewolf as they are to hear that I'm a siren. So, you understand the dangers of being what you are…the helplessness in knowing that you have no control over what you are and what you do, except that _you_ know exactly when it's going to happen.

"Please don't misunderstand me; I am not minimizing your plight, I am merely explaining that that is exactly what makes us different. You know that, as much as I'm sure you despise it, the full moon is going to come at 'x' time whereas my family and I have no idea when…" she was searching for words again, "when something terrible might occur. This is what makes us so incredibly dangerous: we're unstable."

"What happens…?" Remus asked quietly, "what happens to make you so dangerous?" Lorelei looked to her husband, unsure how exactly to explain.

"You're in Herbology, I assume?" Sors asked him. When Remus nodded, he asked, "Have you ever worked with a plant that can potentially 'go off' at any moment?" A snort of laughter escaped from Remus' mouth. Sors took this as a yes. "Well, sirens are very much the same. We know very little about what sets off an episode with them, but it could be at any time, at any one, with no warning at all. _That's_ what makes them so dangerous. For us men, anyway."

"The only way I can justify our powers is for self protection. It seems that an episode, as Sors rightfully called it, tends to occur when the siren in question is feeling an intense emotion of some sort, mostly negative ones. Like Brigit," Remus felt himself grow hot at the sound of her name and Lorelei politely ignored it, "was feeling upset about a…discussion we had had just a few moments before. I suppose we underestimated how upset she was about it for it to set off an episode like this."

"But what exactly—" Remus began.

"--Albus, Mr. and Mrs. Major," Professor McGonagall burst into the room, panting, interrupting Remus' question. "Please, come immediately. Something is wrong with Brigit!"

The family stood and at once followed the professors out of the room quickly. Not sure whether or not to follow, Remus trailed after, worried. When they had turned the corner right before the hospital wing, the cries and screams from within sent them all running at full speed into the room. They sprinted through the glass paned doors and stopped dead at the scene before them.

"Brigit!" Five voices screamed out in unison.

* * *

Waking up in a hospital is always immensely confusing. At first your eyes can't adjust to the bright light that somehow, no matter the time, always shines right in your eyes; you're usually not in your own clothes, and that's a mystery in itself as well as highly disconcerting. You have no idea why you're there or why you're in so much pain.

Brigit awoke slowly, still dreaming. _Come to me, _hissed a malicious voice in her head. _Come to me and I can let you use the powers you so desperately crave. _

_No, _thought Brigit fiercely. _I won't succumb to you._

_You don't have a choice, _the voice responded nastily. She could feel herself sinking back into her coma and tried to pull herself out of it. She was conscious enough to realize what was happening and it frightened her. _You _will_ be mine, Brigit Major. I've found your aunts, have you heard? I ran their ashes through my fingers. You should have heard their screams. _"Find Lorelei! Find Brigit! Don't take me!" _They said._

_I don't believe you. I _won't_ believe you. _

_Then you're more foolish than I thought. Your mother will be next. And then you. I'm saving the best for last, my dear, the most beautiful of them all. I long for the sound of your tortured cries._ The voice, so cold and piercing, was becoming stronger. It wrapped around Brigit like a stifling wind slowly draining her of breath. _Trust me_, it purred, suddenly pleasant. _Trust me; I will take care of you. Follow me and you will be a queen. All you have to do is give up your mother, Brigit. Is that such a huge sacrifice compared to my gift to you? Just give me your mother and you will be free._

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" Brigit yelled aloud. She was screaming and sobbing uncontrollably. Tremors seized her body and she began to convulse, writhing in pain and fright. She felt Madame Pomfrey shaking her, yelling at her, even dousing her with cold water. Nothing could make her stop. She was vaguely aware of people shouting her name, but all she wanted was for the voice to stop, for it to stop haunting all of her dreams, to live in peace. The last thing she heard before falling again into unconsciousness was the soft voice cooing in her head.

_The werewolf is next. _

**A/N: And here you thought all of your questions would be answered! More information still to come! I felt like I might be boring you all with that much description in one chapter, so I decided to minimize it. I hope you enjoyed learning more about our little siren! Reviews always welcome ;D**

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	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry for the delay, folks. I was busy burying myself in ice cream and love before my honey left for a trip. He's my inspiration, after all. This story would be nothing without him, so he has to come first. My deepest apologies! **

**Anyway, after I posted that last chapter I got to thinking about something…why am I waiting to get the two of them together? I mean, you guys are reading a Remus/OC fic. You know they're going to get together despite every other temptation and version of angst ever created, and the reason we all read these stories is for the fluff and seeing Remus being his usual awesome self. So why bother making you all suffer through chapters of needless angst when I can get to the good stuff right away? I promise lovin' and groovin' in this chapter (it IS the seventies after all)!**

**So here you go! I'm not too proud to beg. Reviews? Please?**

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"_Richard put his mouth on hers, and they held each other in an embrace so passionate, so white-hot with love, with longing, that later Fletcher would swear he smelled smoke and heard a distant rumble."_

_Dark Angels, _Karleen Koen

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It had taken three calming potions and six sets of strong hands to restrain Brigit from doing serious self harm as she writhed on the hospital bed screaming as though she was being tortured. After she had at last calmed down Professor McGonagall had left with Professor Dumbledore to join the rest of the school for dinner. This left an impatient Madame Pomfrey, Brigit's parents, and Remus all looking down at her with concern.

"Remus," Lorelei murmured at the young man. She had noticed the spark in his eyes every time her daughters name was mentioned and, judging from the way he was staring at her now, she was correct in her suspicions. "Could you leave us for just a moment? I'd like to talk with Brigit alone, please."

"Of course," and with one last worried glance into Brigit's foggy eyes, he left the hospital wing, quietly shutting the door behind him.

"I'm okay, mum, dad, really I am," Brigit said softly as her mother sat carefully on the edge of the pristine white sheets. Her father looked completely beside himself with worry and hadn't stopped pacing before the window since she had ceased screaming. He stopped at her words and stared at her incredulously.

"Okay?" His voice cracked. He came towards her quickly and took her face between his hands. "_Iníon, _if I had lost you…" he trailed off, unable to finish his thought. His wife put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Brigit, what happened? First to set off such a big episode and then the scene in the hospital…" Lorelei looked lost for words and a tear slid down her flawless face.

"I was so angry…" Brigit said, more to herself than her parents, "I was so incredibly angry, and I just wanted to stop feeling angry, feeling sorry for myself, feeling sad, _feeling_ at all." She looked up at her parents probing stares. "I know it was wrong, and I'm so very sorry for letting myself lose control. I know what's at stake and it was immature of me to put myself first." Her fathers smile didn't reach his dark eyes.

"You're a teenager, dear, we didn't expect anything different." He put his hand up once more to cup the side of her face, and she leaned into him affectionately.

"How long?" Brigit asked. Her parents didn't pretend to misunderstand.

"Probably no more than a couple months. A year at the most," Lorelei answered calmly. "It only took them a year to find Tabatha and she was in a safe house." Her voice broke a little at the end, letting the pain of her sister's death shine through. Brigit's eyes filled with tears at the memory of her dear aunt.

"Oh, mum," Brigit grasped her mother's hands with her own. "Don't cry, because if you start crying then I will and we'll never stop." Lorelei snorted in a very un-ladylike fashion.

"You're sure you don't want to come with us?" She asked gently. Sors, who had been altogether too quiet, raised his head at this question.

"Very," Brigit said firmly. "I can't be locked away, you know me. I just can't," her sadness was practically tangible. "I'm sorry," she added, "so very sorry."

Her parents nodded, it was what they had expected. "We forgive you, Bri," her father whispered, tears shining through his deep voice. "Just promise me we'll see you again."

Brigit looked him right in the eyes. "You will see me again, as will Michael. Family first, always. You taught me that, papa," she used the endearment she knew tugged at his heartstrings with her declaration. "I love you both."

"We love you, too," her parents responded in unison. And with that, they left the hospital wing without glancing back. They would never leave if they looked back. The tears Brigit had been holding in swelled up furiously, blurring her vision and streaming down her face violently. Sobs rose up from her chest as she clutched her knees to her chest.

The only thing going through Brigit's mind was _I'm never going to see them again._

* * *

The sight of Brigit hugging herself, rocking back and forth in the hospital bed nearly undid Remus. He came up next to her silently and sat down on the bed. He raised his hand hesitantly, and then lifted it up to stroke her cheek comfortingly. Her skin was softer than he ever could have imagined and, despite the ridiculously inappropriate time, felt his body stir in response.

She responded to his touch by letting her legs slide down under the covers and leaning towards her. He automatically, instinctively, moved closer and opened his arms wide. Needing no further invitation, she buried herself in his warm embrace and cried into his chest. Murmuring calming words into her ear, he pressed himself closer to her and felt her heart beating. _She smells amazing, _he thought to himself.

After a while the choking sobs subsided and Brigit pulled away to look at Remus, her eyes red and puffy.

"I'm sorry," Brigit whispered. He immediately placed two fingers over her lips to prevent her from continuing.

"Don't be sorry, Brigit," he said quietly, running his other hand up and down her arm soothingly. "It's what I'm here for."

"What day is it?" She asked, frowning.

"Monday. You've been out of it for two days," he answered. "Do you remember anything?"

She frowned again and thought for a moment. "I remember going to the dance," she said slowly, "and I remember going to see Dumbledore. That must have been Friday night, though. I can't remember anything past then. What happened?"

"We started to get worried Saturday evening, and that's when I found you. You must have been talking to your parents then, before going out to the lake," they both stiffened.

"Yeah," she whispered, "yeah, I remember the lake." She looked round at him, fear in her eyes. "You must have been so frightened."

He didn't try to play the hero. "Yes."

"I'm so very sorry to you as well, then," she spoke with a tremble in her voice that Remus had never heard before. She was always so sure of herself; this new, vulnerable side of her was very appealing. "And I'm sorry for blubbering all over you like that, really," she pulled at his shirt that was drying with her tears.

"You're allowed to be vulnerable once and a while, Brigit," he reassured her, sweeping a portion of hair off of her face.

She smiled at him shyly and stifled a yawn. "Bed," he commanded.

"Yes, sire," Brigit taunted.

"Why—" Remus cut himself off. He was about to ask her why she was crying, but realized too late that this was hardly the time.

"Not tonight," she responded, knowing the question before he voiced it. He took her hands in his and laced his fingers through hers, smiling at how they fit perfectly together. She squeezed his hand tenderly and lay back against the pillow, exhausted from her very dramatic day. Remus waited dutifully beside her until she fell asleep.

Staring at her irrevocable beauty, he studied the graceful curve of her neck and Cupid's bow lips; before he could stop himself, he reached forward to pull the sheet up and tuck it underneath her strong chin, noticing her athletic build emphasized against the transparent sheet.

"Good night, my love," he whispered into the darkness.

* * *

As Remus slipped out of the hospital wing to go do his homework and sleep in his own bed for the firs time in days, Brigit opened her eyes slowly. _"Good night, my love," _he had said. _My love?_ She thought to herself.

There was still so much she needed to ask him, so much she needed to explain. She couldn't justify her need to be with him, to feel his warm embrace, to hear the loving curl of his voice as he said her name. She had barely been able to contain herself when he had taken her hand earlier; she wanted to jump on him and kiss him wildly…but he said he 'didn't like her like that.'

What had made her so terribly frightened and frantic earlier was now easing its way back into her serene mind. Remus was in danger. Hell, her entire family was in danger. Someone had sold them out, which is how they found her aunt Tabatha. Her uncle had most likely died trying to protect her…and she had been pregnant with their baby girl. They had already named her: Penelope, for the sister already lost. As she tried to focus on the war she needed to prepare herself for, she found her thoughts slipping to the man she was slowly but surely falling in love with.

"_Good night, my love,"_ Brigit mused. _Well, how do you like that?_

* * *

**Six Weeks Later: Just Before Christmas**

Life at Hogwarts continued on as always. After Brigit had been released from the hospital wing, she realized how missing several days of class could drastically change ones social life. For the next few weeks she could be found sitting in the common room doing make up work, her loyal friends Remus and Lily most often found by her side.

She had gently told Sirius to back off a little bit and, to his credit, he took it pretty graciously. Brigit could tell he was smarting a little bit, and it took him a couple days to be able to sit near her, but eventually his affection wandered to a sixth year Hufflepuff with long blonde hair and big, shining blue eyes.

James and Lily had had a wonderful time at the Halloween dance, much to everyone's surprise. She had agreed to go with him to the next Hogsmeade trip, which was to take place the weekend before Christmas break began, this weekend.

Scarlet was as bitchy as ever and to no ones surprise she was surly and cruel to Brigit the second she had recovered from the hospital wing. Something had changed though, in her sneers and know-it-all glares…something Brigit couldn't quite put her finger on, but couldn't bother herself to think about it more.

Remus and Brigit had grown closer than ever and could most likely be found together every evening by the fire, sitting close together on the couch. They talked about everything from politics to music, everything except what had happened that weekend in October. She flirted like a skilled courtier and he responded shyly yet graciously. Their friendship had developed into something much deeper than either of them had expected and yet, for some strange (and probably stupid) reason, both of them were unable to express their feelings for one another. Lily was pushing Brigit towards him every chance she got and Sirius, who had recovered extremely well, tried to talk to his friend every night after one of his talks with Brigit.

* * *

"Moony," Sirius urged, slipping his shirt over his head and checking his hair in the mirror before continuing, "Why don't you just get over your fear of rejection and tell the little beauty how you feel? Anyone with eyes can see that you two are pretty much meant to be."

"You're the James to your Lily," James jumped in arrogantly. If Remus hadn't told him to cut it out, James would _still _be gloating that Lily had agreed to go on a date with him. Remus snorted and shrugged on his jeans.

It was the day of the Hogsmeade trip and Remus still hadn't gotten up the nerve to ask Brigit. They were going as a big group at Lily's request, one of her conditions for agreeing to James' plea. With the exception of Scarlet, everyone in their year from Gryffindor was going in a crowd. He had been developing a plan for some days now, working out how he could get Brigit by herself. Peter had agreed to help by distracting the rest of the group while he and Brigit slipped away; now the only question was how to get her to come.

"C'mon! We're waiting on all of you guys!" A female voice drifted pleasantly into the boy's dormitory. All four of them looked up at once to see Brigit leaning against the door frame looking so striking that Remus had to remind himself to breathe. Her usual wizards robes were replaced by more comfortable clothes, but that didn't stop her from looking gorgeous. She seemed to know what was on their minds, because she laughed and walked back down the stairs, the four of them following like lost puppies.

* * *

The walk to the small wizarding village was uneventful and fun, full of laughter and teasing as usual. Remus made sure he was next to Brigit as they strolled down the quaint streets. The weather was bitterly cold and the wind bit at their faces as they pulled themselves tighter in their cloaks. James could be heard chivalrously offering Lily his scarf and Alice's giggles as Frank whispered something in her ear. Soon the cold became too much for a majority of the group and they all decided to warm up with a butterbeer at The Three Broomsticks.

Remus, seizing the moment, nudged Peter, who called everyone's attention to him while Remus came around behind Brigit. He leaned very close to her as to not be overheard.

"Come with me," he whispered seductively. She looked around at him, surprised but pleased, and obliged. While the others made their way into the warmth of the pub, Remus and Brigit braced themselves against the cold and walked on. Unsure where his new found confidence had come from, Remus reached back and took Brigit's hand with his own, lacing their fingers and pulling her closer to him. Smiling, he led her up through the town to the Shrieking Shack, the place that had been the source of his disdain for many years.

"Where are you taking me?" Brigit laughed and stuck out her tongue to catch a fat snowflake.

He stopped in front of a small fence in front of the rundown house. "You know I'm a werewolf," he said. It was simply a state of fact, not an accusation. Brigit looked into his eyes unwavering.

"You know I'm a siren," she replied. He gave her a small smile.

"This is where I come to transform," he said, gesturing at the house, trying to be nonchalant. "James, Peter, and Sirius come with me." Brigit's gaze never wandered from his eyes, and they showed no hint of surprise.

"As Prongs, Wormtail, and Padfoot," she stated.

"Yes."

"Why are you telling me this, Remus?" She inquired innocently.

"Because…" he paused, searching for the right words, "because if I tell you everything, then I won't feel bad about telling you that I like you."

The words shocked him as they slipped from his lips, and Brigit's eyes widened. Then, a slow smile broke the smooth glass of her complexion.

"I like you, too, Remus," she murmured. Feeling daring, he moved closer to her, only a half inch away from her perfect features. "And I'd like to tell you about my past, if you'd like to hear it."

"I'd love to," he whispered.

Leaning forward slowly, he hesitated a centimeter from her lips, not wanting to pressure her. She reached up to meet him and he closed his eyes as he felt the pressure of her lips finally against his. Needing her closer, he wound his arms around her waist as her arms found his neck and her hands ran through his hair. Pulling her closer still, she granted him silent permission to deepen the kiss, their lips melding together. He kissed her slowly, tenderly, less like a teenage boy and more like a lover. He wanted her with him always, wanted to be able to say that this magnificent creature was his, wanted to be able to kiss her whenever he wanted…he wanted her in every way a person can want another, and the intensity of his feelings startled him.

Breaking apart slowly, he opened his eyes and ran his hands from her waist to cup his hands around her neck, tilting her head up to meet his once more. She smiled brilliantly at him as he nuzzled her affectionately.

"I've wanted to do that for so long," he admitted to her in the gentle arc of her neck, stamping a kiss on the tender spot where her shoulder connected to her neck. A soft moan escaped her lips.

"I've wanted you to for longer," she replied simply, wrapping her arms around his waist and hugging him close. "I'm ready to tell you about my family."

* * *

**A/N: So, after nine fitful chapters our two lovers have managed to get together. How long do you think it will last? We shall see! Happy Friday! As a special weekend gift to me, review. Come on, you know you want to press the button…Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Dude, I'm so tired right now I can barely keep my head up. I'm pretty much going to be the walking dead until finals are over, next Tuesday, so I'm not going to be updating much in this next week. BUT! Then I'm off for the summer soooooo I'll be posting frequently. Anyway, this chapter is going to be short and probably pretty lame. My sincerest apologies.**

**Just a general note to my readers: if you don't like the story, don't read it. It's called free will. Remember the saying 'if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all'? Yeah.**

* * *

"'_If you cannot do better with 'love' than 'dove' I shall have to award the prize to Sir Thomas.'_

'_Shove?' he suggested._

_Anne laughed. 'What? My sweetest queen, my only love, I long to give you a hearty shove?'"_

_The Other Boleyn Girl,_ Philippa Gregory

* * *

"What do you have to tell me, daughter?" A cold voice rang out through the nearly empty stone chamber. A young woman walked forward confidently, head held high. She approached the large desk and took a seat in front of it, smirking.

"She is dead, sir. As is her husband."

"I am aware. A source tells me the others are in hiding now, which is problematic. What headway have you made with child?"

The girl paused, choosing her words delicately. "That has proven to be more of an issue," she said slowly. Spotting the look on her father's face, she quickly added, "She has very strong allies. I'm working on breaking the circle around her before I execute my final plan."

The man leaned forward in his high-backed chair to reveal an incredibly handsome man with cold, pitiless eyes. "And what does this 'final plan' entail, my dear? You know as well as I how popular she is." The endearment sounded harsh and mocking from his lips. The girl winced.

"As you instructed, father. Lure the werewolf into a trap and ensure she follows. Then kill her."

The man nodded. "Indeed. You may go."

The young woman stood quickly and gave a little bow, then walked smartly from the room, her heels clicking loudly on the stone floors.

_Well,_ thought the wizard contemptuously, watching his daughter exit, _this should be interesting._

* * *

Brigit and Remus walked slowly back to the castle after their intimate moment by the shrieking shack. Hand in hand, they strolled onto the grounds and through the massive oak doors. Remus couldn't stop grinning and Brigit thought the heat of her face would never disintegrate.

"Do you want to go back to the common room?" Remus asked, rubbing his hands together to warm them.

Brigit twisted a strand of hair around her finger, watching a group of curious second years walk by, giggling. "Wherever we won't have an audience." Remus nodded, understanding.

Making their way back to Gryffindor Tower, Brigit had a wave of uneasiness flow over her. Was she doing the right thing, telling Remus the entire story? Dumbledore had trusted him with it, and probably would have continued telling him if they hadn't been interrupted…

_But if he knows, he's never going to be able to escape it, _she thought to herself miserably. _I would never choose this war over freedom. Why would he want to do the same? _Remus, spotting the look on her face, stopped just outside the Fat Lady.

"What?" He asked curiously. Her face had clouded over and he suddenly felt on edge. "Bri?"

She couldn't help but give a little smile at the nickname. "I have to run an errand first, I've just remembered. Meet me in the common room, 'kay?" Without waiting for his answer, she trotted in the opposite direction.

Remus stared at her retreating figure, a puzzled expression crossing his face.

* * *

"Have you got the items I asked for, Borgin?" The young woman tapped her hand impatiently on the counter.

"Ah, yes, good miss. I just received them today, I did." He pulled out several parcels wrapped in brown paper. "That'll be one hundred eighty-three galleons and twelve sickles, miss," The shady man's eyes gleamed as he spoke the outrageous price.

She frowned in irritation. "A little steep, Borgin. I assume you want me to actually _buy_ the things I ordered." Her eyes flashed dangerously.

The old shopkeeper may be many things, but stupid his was not. He knew exactly how powerful this young lady's family was and, at the moment, was in good graces with them. He had no plans on changing that fact and rushed to correct his error.

"Of course, young miss, my mistake," he straightened himself up and gave a creepy, gap-toothed smile. "I must have read the sum wrong. _Eighty-three_ galleons and twelve sickles is what is printed her. My mistake."

She smiled cruelly, pulling out a heavy looking pouch and dropping it on the counter with a loud _clunk_. "That should cover it," she said. "Goodbye, Borgin," she gathered up her various odd shaped items and strode from the grimy shop.

"'_A little steep, Borgin'_" The old man mocked shrilly, weighing the money sack in his gnarled hand. He sighed. He was out one hundred galleons because some brat needed some forbidden objects. A tinkling sound from the shop door sounded and Borgin twisted his face into a smile upon seeing who was walking into his store.

"Ah, Mr. Malfoy! Good evening sir."

* * *

Securing her bag tighter to her shoulder, Brigit strode towards Dumbledore's office. Reaching the entrance, she stared at it numbly. She didn't know the password.

"Lollipops," she said. Nothing happened.

"Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans?" Nothing.

"Sugar Quill! Bathilda Bagshot! Nicholas Flamel! The Beatles?!" She cried, frustrated.

"Try jelly slugs," a soft voice called from behind her. The statue sprung to life and began turning. Glancing over her shoulder warily, Brigit saw a Slytherin boy standing there with desperately greasy hair and a pallid complexion.

"Severus," she said in greeting. Though Gryffindor's hated Slyterhin's on principle, something about Severus Snape made her wonder why he was put into Slytherin. Lily had told her about her friendship with Snape and their falling out back in fifth year and aside from usual classes she had never had any real contact with him.

"Why are you trying to get into the headmasters office anyway?" He asked her curiously, walking a little closer. She looked behind her and saw the stairs beginning to turn back around as the doorway closed.

"Not really your business, is it?" She asked him coldly. His eyes turned hard.

"No, I guess it isn't," he glared as she hopped into the doorway just as it was drawing shut.

Making her way to Dumbledore's office door, she realized it was Saturday and the headmaster would probably be in Hogsmeade for last minute Christmas shopping. Frowning at her stupidity, she decided to try anyways. Knocking on the door quietly, she was surprised to hear a soft "Yes?" come from within. She opened the door and peered in.

"Ah, Miss Major!" Dumbledore greeted her cheerfully. "Please, do come in." Brigit came in and shut the door softly behind her and took a seat in front of his desk.

"Hello, Professor," she said. His blue eyes twinkled at her from behind his half moon glasses.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" He asked her chivalrously with a smile. Brigit suddenly didn't know where to start.

"I…I wanted to ask you a question, sir." She hesitated.

"Dare I assume a Mr. Lupin is the topic of this conversation?" Dumbledore asked while smiling at Brigit's reddening face.

"Yes, sir, it does. And about what you told him around Halloween. About the siren wars?"

"Then I suggest we continue this conversation at a later time, Miss Major." Dumbledore interjected quickly. "Forgive me, but it would be unwise to carry on at the moment. When we meet again, I shall explain. For now, if you would?" He had stood and Brigit stood as well, confused. He gestured to his office door and she walked out, him close behind her. Shutting the door tightly behind him, they continued down the marble stairs and stopped just before they reached the corridor.

"Professor—" Brigit began, now thoroughly baffled.

"We have a traitor among us, Brigit," Dumbledore said quietly. "I will alert you when we may speak. Until then tell no one why you came to me and tell no one anything more until I tell you differently. Remus will understand. Your life is at stake, Brigit," he said gravely. Brigit gazed at him, afraid.

"Do I have to go into hiding?" She felt a tightening in her chest at the thought of leaving.

Dumbledore hesitated. "Perhaps. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Until then…" he trailed off. Brigit nodded.

"Yes, sir."

* * *

**I know this one was probably confusing and all over the place. It will all make sense soon, but bear with me until then please!**

**Reviews? Please? C'mon, you don't have thirty seconds to post a little note? You know you wannnnntttt tooooooooo!! ;) Hope you enjoyed!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Does anyone else see a correlation between Robert Langdon and Remus Lupin? I do. Including their initials. And the fact that I adore them both.**

**Another short chapter today, flowers, I'm tired. One third of the way done with finals…UGHGSDF:JS:LJF:LEWRJ:LJDV:LSKJFD.**

**This chapter belongs to Van Halen for being so freaking cool.**

**Last chapter was confusing, I know! But this one should clear some stuff up for you. Now, really, how do you think Remus is going to feel about Brigit keeping information from him? How would **_**you**_** feel? Exactly. Onward!**

* * *

"_The first draft of this chapter was written with eight interruptions. It ended up disjointed, disarranged, disabled, disenchanting, diseased, disconnected, dismembered, dismantled, and displaced._

_I answered a call from the school nurse, picked up my oldest son and his temperature from class, tucked him into his bed with juice and books, obeyed the Perma-press bell from the dryer, didn't open the door to two religious fanatics peddling their fanaticism, made lunch for the children, hung up on a speed-talking aluminum-siding salesman allegedly calling long distance, and was beaten at Chutes and Ladders by my youngest son._

_Disappointed because after twenty-seven revisions this chapter still fails to display any sense at all, I disqualify it from participating in this manuscript and dismiss it._

_Intrusions, _Ursula Hegi

* * *

Brigit walked slowly back from Dumbledore's office, thinking hard. Dumbledore was acting very strange, but who was she to question his brilliance? And what was with Snape, knowing the password and talking to her for the first time after she'd been there months? The day, which started off innocently enough, was quickly turning into a disaster. She wanted to be with Remus so much she could practically taste it; the feeling of his lips on hers kicked her heart into fourth gear and she could barely walk while remembering the desperate need of his hands running along her body…

She shook her head, ridding herself of the feeling. She knew that now, despite all of her instincts, she had to do something to Remus she was going to regret instantly. She'd learned from experience that keeping something from your significant other was a quick way to end the relationship. Still…Dumbledore had told her not to tell him any more details…

Before she knew it, she was at the Fat Lady's portrait. Muttering the password she reluctantly made her way through the hole and into the comfortable Common Room. Remus was waiting for her by the fire; just the sight of him sitting there twisting his fingers and jiggling his foot impatiently made her weak at the knees. **(Good God did I just use the most ridiculous cliché of all time? Indeed I did. What is the world coming to?)**

"Remus," she called softly. He immediately looked up at her and smiled, inviting her over to sit by him. She sat down on the fluffy couch and raised her legs so they were resting in his lap and he bent down and kissed her outstretched leg affectionately. The gesture made a lump swell in her throat and she closed her eyes and kneaded her temples with her knuckles.

"Everything okay? You kinda left in a hurry there," Remus asked her tenderly, lightly rubbing her sore feet.

"No," Brigit replied regretfully, hating herself. "Everything isn't all right." Remus frowned. "I…I know I promised to tell you everything, Remus, but," she swallowed hard, not able to look at him, "but I can't. Not now. There are things going on that even _I_ don't understand and I just can't tell you everything until I have all of the details. I am in incredible danger, just as I _am_ an incredible danger."

Remus stared at her. "Okay…" he said slowly. Brigit looked up at his face; he had a look of confusion and apprehension on his face. "But Brigit," he added, "If I'm going to be in a relationship, I'm going to be _in a relationship_. I can't do things halfway. If I'm in, I'm in…I can't continue on with this if you don't trust me—"

"It's not that I don't trust you, Remus! It's that I don't understand most of it myself! Dumbledore made me swear!" Brigit interjected fiercely.

"But you're refusing to tell me anything more than your parents did, Brigit!" Remus replied, suddenly angry. "For Christ's sake, they were telling me the whole story and Dumbledore didn't seem to have any problem with it then!" Remus growled. "We have to be equal, Brigit. I'm not going to be in a one-sided relationship." He added firmly. Brigit glared at him.

"Why are you being like this? I told you Dumbledore said no!"

"Because Dumbledore knows more about you than you do? I didn't know you thought that low of me, Brigit. At least tell me what happened in Dumbledore's office to make you completely change your mind," Remus demanded, glaring back at her.

Brigit didn't say anything, just stared at her hands in her lap.

"I see," Remus said quietly. "I like you, Brigit. Jesus, I might even love you. But I won't be with someone who doesn't trust me." Before Brigit could even protest, Remus shook himself free of her legs and walked to the stairs.

"Remus," Brigit called to him, turning around to see him pause at the boy's dormitories stairs. "Remus, please don't do this. We had an amazing kiss today, did you just forget that?" He didn't turn around. "I _do_ trust you. I _want_ to tell you everything, I just—"

"But you _don't_, Brigit." Remus interrupted, still facing the stone wall. "Every time we talk about our pasts, I spill out my guts and you make jokes to avoid the subject. Whenever we talk about our childhoods or our families, you laugh off the subject or change the topic immediately. It wouldn't kill you to open up a little bit, you know. I had a hell of a childhood, too, but I took a chance and told you everything because _that's how you get close to someone. _You won't stay with one guy long enough to even open up to anyone!" He finally turned around, hating himself for saying these things to her but knowing they were true. "Remember Sirius? You were all over him on Halloween and suddenly the next day I'm your main guy? Who's next? That Ravenclaw guy you were flirting with yesterday?"

Brigit's anger flared up. "What are you saying, Remus? I'm some kind of whore?"

"You know that's not what I'm—"

"If you're so repulsed by me, Remus, maybe you should go find someone else to pity you," Brigit snarled. "Since I don't seem to fit your idea of what a perfect woman should be."

"Except that you _do_, Brigit," Remus replied softly. Brigit felt her anger lift and suddenly felt deep regret at her harsh words. "You are the perfect woman. Smart, funny, beautiful, everybody's best friend…" his voice cracked in despair. "But you won't let anyone get within arms length. I can't fit into your life exactly how you want, Bri. Around when you want me around, gone when you want me gone, happy when you want me happy, sympathetic when you want me sympathetic…" He shook his head miserably. "I've never felt this way about anyone. I've barely had any relationships and they've all ended before they even got started; this could have been something amazing," he put his hands on the walls to support himself, practically shaking with unshed tears.

"It still can be," Brigit whispered.

Remus shook his head. "Not until you let me in. I'll give you some time to think about whether or not you want this as much as I do." And with that, he walked up the stairs, not looking back.

Brigit stared at the stairs long after he had left. How did the evening turn into her heart getting broken? As far as she was concerned, Remus was being completely ridiculous. Of course she _wanted_ to tell him everything, but Dumbledore said no! And she had told him about her past! At least bits of it! What more did he want?!

_This is so absurd, _Brigit thought ferociously, making her way up to bed. _I'll give him some time to think about what he did and we'll make up. Everything will be okay._

* * *

Undressing quickly, Remus stepped into the warm jets of water erupting from the showerhead. _She doesn't trust you, _he told himself, turning his face to the streams of water. _How can you be with someone who won't share themselves with you?_

"Moony?" James' voice called from the bathroom door. Remus didn't answer him. "You okay?"

He merely grunted in response.

"C'mon, Moons," he heard Sirius, too. "What happened to you today? You were with Brigit all afternoon and we haven't seen you since. You should be bouncing off the walls, not hiding in the shower. What happened?" His voice was oddly compassionate.

"What do you care?" Remus spat back harshly. "You should be glad we aren't together, Pads, since you're so desperate to have her for yourself."

Silence met this rude remark, and he heard a door close. Sighing, glad to be finally alone, Remus turned off the water and stepped out of the shower with a towel wrapped tightly around him. To his surprise, James was still sitting by the door, waiting for him.

Remus walked by him without saying anything and went to the sinks to brush his teeth. "Why did you say that, Remus?" James' use of his given name made him stop what he was doing. Clearly he meant business. "Why would you say something like that to him? He was only trying to help. He stepped aside for you today, even though he likes Brigit. He stepped aside for you and that's how you treat him?"

Remus washed out his mouth and turned to James who was staring at him sadly. "I guess I never thought about it like that," he admitted. James gave him a sad smile.

"Yeah," he sighed, "I don't want to fight with you, Moony, but I know how much you like Brigit, too. Clearly something happened between you two, something bad. You can put it off for as long as you want, but we both know that eventually you're going to tell us. That's all," James finished and without further ado, walked from the bathroom.

Remus stared at his reflection critically. _Merlin, what am I doing?_

* * *

"You did the right thing, coming here," a soft voice purred, her cape billowing out behind her as she came to sit next to a pudgy, blonde boy in the deserted classroom.

"I'm not going to tell you anything," Peter Pettigrew squeaked unimpressively to the blonde beauty. She chuckled softly at his attempt at heroics. An owl hooted morosely in the night sky.

"If you weren't going to tell me anything, you wouldn't have come here," she replied logically, sliding closer to him and running her hand up his thigh flirtatiously. Leaning closer, she nibbled gently on his earlobe and whispered in his ear. "Now, what information do you have for me?"

* * *

Letting her long hair sweep out in front of her, Brigit parted it and began to braid it. Inhaling deeply, she could smell Remus on her hair, her clothes, her skin…

_Ugh!_ Stripping quickly and pulling on an oversized t-shirt to sleep in, all Brigit wanted to do was throw herself on her bed and forget today ever happened. She was still furious at Remus for not understanding and mad at herself for letting it happen.

"Brigit?" Came a sweet voice from the next bed over. Any other day, Brigit would have wanted to get Lily's usually spot-on advice, but today Brigit wasn't in the mood to talk about her folly.

"Good night, Lils," Brigit said, hoping that would get her point across without having to be mean to her friend.

"Do you wanna talk?"

Brigit hesitated. "Not really."

"…'kay."

"Hey, Brigit?"

"Yeah, Lils?"

"…do you want some chocolate?" Brigit almost smiled.

"No thanks."

"Okay."

"Good night, Lily."

"Good night, Brigit."

And, despite everything else, Brigit felt oddly comforted. _Everything will work out in the end,_ she mused sleepily,_ it always does._

* * *

No one in the quiet and dark dormitory heard Scarlet sneak her way into her four-poster bed, just like no one heard Peter slip into the boy's dormitory silently at the exact same time.

* * *

**A/N: So, when I said everything would be cleared up in this chapter, I lied. But hey, what's fan fiction without a little mystery? I'm no plot slut! We all knew the happiness wouldn't last very long. (sigh) will they ever make up? (I hope everyone can answer that question.)**

**Hope you enjoyed! Please review? Please? PLEASE?!**


	12. Chapter 12

**This chapter is for whoever invented white chocolate. I love you. And for my faithful reader _cheery-s-twin_, who gets a special shout out for her birthday!**

**This is my 'procrastinating on French' chapter. Actually, a majority of my chapters are 'procrastinating on French' chapters. A surprising number of them. Anyway. Read on, brave reviewers!**

* * *

"'_Sir Leigh?' The manservant's words crackled through the intercom on the wall, and Sophie jumped. 'If you could join me in the kitchen a moment?'…_

…_Teabing grunted and pressed the button. 'Make it quick, Rémy.'_

'_It is a household matter, sir, hardly fare for guests to endure.'_

_Teabing looked incredulous. 'And it cannot wait until morning?'_

'_No, sir. My question won't take a minute.'_

_Teabing rolled his eyes and looked at Langdon and Sophie. 'Sometimes I wonder who is serving whom?' He pressed the button again. 'I'll be right there, Rémy. Can I bring you anything when I come?'_

'_Only freedom from oppression, sir.'_

'_Rémy, you realize your _steak au poivre_ is the only reason you still work for me.'_

'_So you tell me, sir. So you tell me.'"_

_The Da Vinci Code, _Dan Brown

* * *

**December 23****rd**

"Brigit? Brigit! Wake up!" Her blankets were whipped off by some unknown force and she shivered with the loss of them.

"Mmmmm…" was all she could muster.

"Brigit, I'm serious. Get. Up." Brigit finally registered that the pissy voice belonged to Lily Evans. "Your going to miss the train, missy! I'm not going to run along it with you!!" Brigit chuckled and squinted her eyes just enough to see Lily, fully dressed and ready to go, standing next to her with her hands on her hips.

"I'm up, I'm up," grumbled Brigit, rolling over. "Wait, what?" Lily rolled her eyes.

"You're going to miss the train! Have you packed at _all_?!" Lily shrieked, looking down at her friends' nearly empty trunk.

"Of course I haven't packed," mumbled Brigit to her pillow. "I'm staying here for Christmas." Silence followed this statement. Brigit cracked one eye open to see Lily staring at her in disbelief.

"Yes, you are…" Lily said slowly, scrunching up her nose in confusion.

"No, no I'm not," Brigit said, finally awake now. "My parents have gone to visit Michael, since he's away from home for the first time for Christmas. That and it's not saf—" Brigit trailed off before she said anything she wasn't supposed to.

Lily brushed this comment away. "Then why have you been saying 'yes' to everyone who's been asking you if you're leaving for the holiday?"

Brigit stared, puzzled. "H—Have I?"

"Yes, you crazy girl, you have! What're you playing at?"

"I—I dunno…I'm definitely staying here, though…" Brigit was confused. Lily seemed to realize what was going on.

"You haven't really been…" she paused, "_with it_, lately, Brigit. Maybe you weren't paying attention," she said gently.

"Yeah," Brigit agreed quietly, "God, I just…_you_ know." Lily nodded at her. "I want to be with him, Lils, but I dunno _how _to…"

"Well, I dunno if I want you here alone, Bri," Lily said, sitting next to her. "You've barely gotten out of bed since you and Remus…" she trailed off, looking slightly awkward. "Look, since you haven't given me any details, the best advice I can give you is to follow your heart. If your heart tells you to find Remus and kiss him senseless, do it! What did you two fight about, anyway?"

"You really _are_ going to miss that train, Lils," Brigit said quickly. "I'll be fine, don't worry. I could use some peace and quiet to get myself sorted out without the entire school watching. If you want, we can owl every day so you can make sure I haven't died, or something," she tried to smile encouragingly. Lily didn't seem convinced, but James' impatient voice rang up the stairs.

"Lily! C'mon!"

"I'm coming, Potter!" Snapped Lily, hoisting her bag onto her shoulder. "Keep your bloody pants on!"

"Not if you're coming down, Evans!" James replied cheekily. Lily tried to hide her blush while chuckling under her breath.

"You're _sure?_" Lily confirmed, taking Brigit's hand with her own.

"Positive," Brigit squeezed her hand in response. "I'm a big girl; I can take care of myself. Go have fun with your quidditch god." Lily laughed.

"I'll owl you when I get there, assuming I survive the trip with James around," Lily said, sighing. She was to spend half of the holiday with James and his family, finally being introduced to them as his girlfriend and the other half at home, dealing with Petunia.

"Have fun! Play nice!" Brigit called as Lily walked from the room, her ginger hair swishing out behind her.

"Never!"

Brigit laughed and decided to hop into the shower and grab some peace and quiet after everyone had left. She hadn't been in the mood to talk to anyone, especially Remus, after their fight. She had become uncharacteristically reclusive and quiet, only talking to Lily, Mary, and Alice, but all without details. As far as she knew, her and Remus were the only people who knew what their fight was about. Now that everyone was gone, she felt it was finally okay to stray down to the common room.

Slipping on some comfortable sweat pants and a hoodie from her old school, she padded down the stairs with a tattered and worn copy of her favorite fiction book; she then plopped down onto an arm chair by the crackling fire and flipped through the thin pages to her favorite chapter.

She heard footsteps on the stone steps and looked up at the sound, staring in disbelief. _You have _got_ to be kidding me._

* * *

"Mooooooooonnnnnnnyyyyyyyyyy," called a voice from miles away. "Moony! Get up!"

"Whosie-what?" Remus muttered into his sheets, snuggling himself deeper into the warm four poster bed. "I don' _wanna_ get up." A warm laugh followed this response. Remus was content to stay in bed all day; he was dreaming of Brigit, Brigit with her hands running through his hair, Brigit smiling, Brigit laughing, Brigit…

"OOMPH!" A pillow came crashing down on Remus' head, snatching his dream away from his grasp. "Prongs, what the hell?"

James was grinning ear to ear. "It's almost Christmas, and you're _still_ moping in bed? I have a surprise for you before I leave on the train. But if you get up, _now,_ I'll show you what it is!"

"I don't want a surprise, I want Brigit. So if you aren't giving me her, then you can shove off and leave me to my misery." Remus buried his face into his pillow once more, but he wasn't giving up.

"Get up, get dressed, and get downstairs. That's all I'll tell you. That and you want to do what I say. I'm off to grab Lily and then the train. Best Christmas ever, this'll be! Have a nice Christmas, Moony!" And with that, he was gone.

"Bye, Prongs," called Remus just a second too late. _Well, what does James know? I don't want a surprise._ Sighing, he faced the fact that he wasn't getting back to sleep this morning, and went to take a shower.

Pulling on some comfy clothes and grabbing his favorite book, Remus padded down the stone stairs and stopped at the entrance of the common room. Brigit, looking more beautiful than he remembered, was sitting in an arm chair, reading the same book, staring at him. _Of course._

* * *

"Seven."

"Guess again."

"Get out, you can't have shagged _that_ many! We've only been here a week!"

"Can and have. Want their names?"

"Yes."

"Well, too bad. I don't f—"

"Will you two _shut up_?!" The black haired beauty snapped, looking up at her relatives. "One can barely think with you two numbskulls jabbering! Shut. Up."

The two stared at her. The older of the duo looked amused, while the younger looked angry.

"And what is so important that precious Bella has to have silence?" Growled Regulus while leaning against the doorway. "Lucius and I are having a perfectly civilized conversation and you have to _burst in_ muttering something ridiculous about 'she hasn't got a plan' and expect us to follow your orders?"

"Yes, I do. Leave now."

Regulus Black stared at her while Lucius Malfoy stepped forward. "I hear your dad calling, Reggie. C'mon…" Regulus scoffed at the nickname and walked from the room. Lucius made to follow, and then paused at the doorway. "She really hasn't got a fool proof plan?"

Bellatrix Black looked up and peered at him, finally dropping the façade. "Not really. According to her father, she's going to 'lure the werewolf away and hope that Major will follow'. He seemed less than convinced, so he recruited me to help out." She sneered. "I expect he'll be asking you next, be on your guard." Lucius nodded and left the room.

Finally alone, Bellatrix turned her attention back to the papers in front of her. Laid out in front of her were an elaborate building blue print and several lists of spells and potions used for torture. Smirking to herself, she flipped through the pages and her eyes settled on one curse said to cause the most painful death imaginable.

_Perfect._

* * *

Brigit and Remus stared at one another for almost a full minute before Remus cleared his throat and looked at the floor. _Damn you, James._

"Hey," he said softly.

"Hey," Brigit replied, equally as soft.

"Are you…" Remus began, choking on his words. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Are you here for the holidays?" He looked up in time to see Brigit frown slightly.

"Yes, the entire break. You?"

"Yeah. I think we're the only seventh years left. Barely anyone was on the sign up sheet to stay at the castle." Remus shrugged and stuffed his hands in his pockets, not knowing what to do with them.

"Yeah, I forgot you're a prefect. Did you have to do the decorations?" Brigit felt her face turn red. Before he could answer, she spoke again. "Listen, why are we talking like we're strangers? If we're stuck here together we might as well make the best of it." Remus looked up in surprise.

"You…You want to talk about the other day?" He was astounded. He'd expected Brigit to ignore him completely after what they'd said to each other. In fact, he didn't know if he could even forgive _himself_ for the hateful things he said and did. After careful consideration, he knew now that it wasn't her fault that she couldn't talk to people about her condition. Being the studious bookworm he was, he had looked up information about sirens in the restricted section of the library and learned how horrific their childhoods could be from the lack of restraint. What with this, her family dying left and right, and the siren war going on, it was amazing to him that she could even get up in the morning. But before he could voice the apology he was rehearsing in his head, Brigit's voice pulled him out of his own mind.

"Yeah, yeah I would." Brigit looked more nervous than Remus had ever seen her. She was staring at her lap, beet red, twirling her wand aimlessly through her fingers. Blue sparks were erupting from the end each time she flipped it. "I've been doing a lot of thinking over the past couple of days, and—"

"Me, too," Remus interjected quickly. "And I—"

"Let me finish," Brigit said, holding up her hand, still not looking at him. Remus was starting to get anxious. Was she ending their friendship completely? Had she decided Remus wasn't worth all of this? He suddenly felt dizzy and started holding onto the wall for support.

"I've been thinking about what to get you for Christmas, Remus." Remus stared. Whatever he had been expecting Brigit to say, it certainly wasn't this.

"You've…been thinking about what to get me for…Christmas…" Remus repeated stupidly. Brigit smiled wryly.

"Yes, and I think I've finally come up with something you'd like." She stood, marking her place carefully in her novel and made quite a show of walking over to him slowly. "You see, Remus," she was whispering now, seductively, alluringly. Remus felt like his insides were on fire at her words as she stepped closer and closer. "I finally figured out what it is you need most." She was in front of him now and she placed her hands on either side of his head and pressed her body against him. Remus' breath was coming in short gasps. Whatever thoughts he had about apologizing, or being angry with her, or _anything_, were gone. All he could see was her eyes, her beautiful, jade eyes staring up at him with longing.

"I need you." Remus gasped. Brigit chuckled and brought her lips up to meet his. Half an inch away from his, she paused.

"Do you want to know your Christmas present two days early?" She murmured, gently nuzzling him with her nose.

"Yes," Remus was ready to burst; he wanted to kiss her _so_ badly.

"You get…" she paused dramatically. "Me." She tore herself away from him on this last word and before he could blink, was sitting back in the armchair. Remus took a few calming breaths and restrain his heart from exploding.

"What?" He looked at her sitting there, smiling to herself.

"I've decided to tell you anything and everything you want to know. Any question you've ever had about me I'll answer truthfully, screw Dumbledore's orders." Brigit looked up to meet his gaze. "I want _you_, Remus. And I don't care what it takes to get that. Do you…is that okay?" She looked at him uncertainly. Inside, Remus was jumping for joy.

Instead of pouncing on her and kissing her until she couldn't breathe, like he wanted, Remus walked over to her and knelt in front of her, taking her hands in his. "I would like that very much, Brigit Major." He kissed her hands and the inside of her wrists, feeling her pulse get faster and faster. He stamped his lips up to her elbow and looked up into her eyes which were shining with tears. He stroked her wet cheek with the back of his hand. She took it with hers and kissed his palm.

And finally their lips met for an undying instant; a kiss that would unite them forever.

* * *

Several hundred miles away, another pair was meeting, though for much different reasons.

"Have you received any new information from your daughter?" A cold voice rang out once more through the stone hall. This time, however, the voice did not belong to the handsome man who had sat there so intimidating before. Another man, a much more powerful and cruel man, sat there this evening, terrorizing the same man who had sat there not much earlier.

"No, my lord. Though she tells me she is making progress with the Pettigrew boy." The man was nearly trembling with fear kneeling in front of his master. "She believes he holds valuable information on breaking up the group around the girl."

"Indeed." The cold, snakelike voice hissed, unconvinced. "Very well. You may go." The other man practically tripped in his haste to get up. Bowing once more to his master, he scurried to the door.

"Oh, Acantha," Lord Voldemort called. The professor turned around, fear in his eyes. "Do not underestimate the siren's power. Her mother put up a very strong fight. I ended up having to kill her myself."

"Yes, thank you, sir," Acantha bowed once more and let himself out. Once away from the Dark Lord's prying mind, he ran out the doors of his own manor and disappeared into thin air.

Reappearing at the house where his daughter was staying for the holidays, he went to her bedroom, knowing he needed to warn her immediately of the Dark Lord's wishes.

He knocked on the door and opened it without being invited. Peering into the room, he spotted his daughter sitting on her bed with a long piece of parchment. "Scarlet," he said to her. She looked up, her blue eyes piercing. "Something has changed."

* * *

**A/N: Ha! Didn't see that one coming, didja? Thanks for reading! More still to come, of course. We can't just leave our star-crossed lovers hanging now, can we? Hope you liked it :) You should review. No, I mean it. Review.**


	13. Chapter 13

**This chapter is going to be a quickie (for real this time ;) ) because today was my last day and I'm off to celebrate!**

**Very little plot progression in this chapter, mostly fluff (:D but who doesn't love werewolf fluff?) and we learn more about Brigit. Enjoy!**

* * *

"'_Let's just talk,' he said._

'_About what?'_

'_Mrs. Chadwick. I've always been fascinated by women who wear red sneakers.'"_

_Intrusions, _Ursula Hegi

* * *

"So, we're stuck here, alone in the common room, for like, two weeks?" Remus smiled at Brigit mischievously.

"That seems to be the case, yes."

"Hmm…I wonder what we could do for two weeks…" Remus laughed as Brigit opened her mouth to reply heatedly. "I'm kidding, Bri. Settle down."

"Are you channeling Sirius or something? What's gotten into you?" Brigit laughed, tickling Remus' toes while he squirmed to get away. They were each curled up on either side of the couch with their legs stretched out in each other's laps, talking in front of the fire.

"When do you want to talk about that thing we weren't going to talk about?" Remus asked, snuggling under a fuzzy blanket that Brigit had brought down.

Brigit frowned, trying to decipher his words. "What's there to talk about? I promise to tell you anything you want and you can ask any questions. I'm done having secrets with you, Remus," she said seriously. He smiled.

"Okay then. I can ask _anything_ I want?" His eyes twinkled playfully. Brigit narrowed her eyes.

"Yes…as long as you give me answers back, too."

"Fair enough," he laughed at her frightened expression. "What's your favorite book?" Brigit sighed with relief.

"1984, by George Orwell." Remus looked slightly shocked. "What?" Brigit asked a little defensively. "It's cool!" Remus laughed.

"Whatever you say, Bri, whatever you say."

"Well fine, Mr. Smarty-pants, what's your favorite book?" Brigit tickled his feet again.

"The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald." Remus answered, chuckling when Brigit stuck out her tongue in disgust.

"I hated that book."

"Well, clearly you have no class."

"I do too!"

"Do not."

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do—" Brigit was interrupted by Remus leaning forward and kissing her deeply. Brigit laughed against his lips. "You're just trying to distract me."

"Is it working?" Remus grinned and pulled her in for another kiss.

Pulling away, a little breathless, Brigit replied "yes."

The two continued on talking about the things they liked and disliked, staying with soft, easy subjects when their friendship was so freshly renewed. After hours upon hours of talking, Remus' stomach grumbled loudly and they realized the time.

"How did it get to be seven o'clock?" Brigit wondered aloud, standing up to stretch. Remus took this moment to stare appreciatively at her curvy figure and Brigit snorted and wiggled around a little to make him laugh. "C'mon, Romeo, let's get some food."

They walked down to the Great Hall hand in hand, both blushing. Remus laced his fingers tighter and felt her pulse throbbing even faster than his. Overcome with longing, he pulled her behind a large, hanging tapestry and kissed her long and hard, running his hands up and down her slender figure, a soft moan escaping his soft lips.

"Remus…" Brigit whispered with desire, linking her arms around his neck and pulling him closer, their bodies touching from chest to knee. He pushed her forcefully against the stone wall and pinned her there, moving his lips from hers to her neck. She sighed in contentment and slid her fingers through his thick, brown hair. He nuzzled her affectionately and planted open mouth kisses from her shoulder to her chin, finally meeting her lips again.

* * *

They remained locked in each others arms for several intense minutes until they heard a soft 'ahem' from behind them and the warmth of the thick tapestry being taken away. Pulling away quickly, they turned to see Professors McGonagall, Dumbledore, and Madame Pomfrey standing there with hidden smirks on each face. Blushing fiercely, they both attempted to straighten out their tangled and twisted robes and fix their tousled hair. McGonagall recovered first.

"Lupin, we've been looking for you everywhere! Why weren't you at dinner?" She asked sharply, eyeing the two of them carefully.

"I daresay he lost track of time, Minerva," Dumbledore said, a smile playing on his lips and his blue eyes sparkling with humor. Remus blushed even harder and mumbled something along the lines of 'we were just going…'

"Oh no, Mr. Lupin," said Madame Pomfrey. "Have you forgotten completely? Tonight is the full—"

"Oh, my God!" Remus exclaimed loudly, checking his watch. He turned quickly to Brigit and took her hands and kissed them. "Bri, I'm sorry, tonight's the full moon. I _completely _forgot. I've got to hurry,"

"Yes, you do," Madame Pomfrey grabbed him by the arm and pulled him away, professor McGonagall following closely behind. He turned around to wave to Brigit and mouth 'I'm sorry' once more before they disappeared around a corner. Now only Brigit and Dumbledore remained standing in front of the tapestry.

"Be careful!" Brigit shouted after him as his cloak whipped out of sight.

"Well, Miss Major. Shall we?" He gestured in the direction of the Great Hall and led the way without her replying. She trotted to keep up with his long strides and was still a deep shade of crimson. He seemed slightly put off about something that Brigit didn't quite comprehend. "It seems as though you haven't taken my advice to heart, Brigit," Dumbledore said suddenly, still walking. Brigit stared at him.

"I'm sorry, sir?"

"I believe I told you to _wait_ before telling Mr. Lupin anything else about your condition," he turned to face her and she nearly collided with him.

"I haven't told him anything, professor," Brigit said truthfully. True, she was planning on it, but she hadn't _yet_. He only narrowed his eyes at her. She decided that, since he was going to find out anyway, there wasn't any sense in lying. "Look, professor, we're the only ones left in Gryffindor Tower this break. I wasn't going to compromise my…friendship…with him over this. He already knows about 90 of it, anyway and—"

"And I told you very clearly to not tell him any of the remaining 10 until I saw fit, did I not?" Dumbledore interrupted. Brigit looked down, not saying anything, but it seemed the headmaster was waiting for a response.

"Yes, you did, sir."

"I understand your predicament, Brigit," Dumbledore said softly. Brigit looked up to see compassion in his eyes. "Please, just wait until after the Christmas holiday. I believe I know who the spies are and after I've revealed them you may tell Mr. Lupin anything you like. These are extremely dangerous times, Miss Major. _Please_ understand that." Brigit only nodded, feeling defeated. Dumbledore patted her comfortingly on the shoulder as the sound of a person approaching made her look up.

"Ah, Severus," Dumbledore said pleasantly. "Won't you join us? Miss Major and I were walking down for dinner." Snape walked up to the pair, eyeing them suspiciously. He merely nodded in response.

As the peculiar trio walked to the Great Hall, Brigit could see Snape was thinking something very hard. Dumbledore walked casually, humming to himself. When they entered the Great Hall they saw one long table in the center of the grand room instead of the usual five.

"Only a few of us this Christmas," Dumbledore explained. "Poor Brigit would have been sitting all alone at the Gryffindor table," he smiled at her. They all took their seats, Snape starting to walk to the other end of the table.

Before he passed completely, he paused long enough to whisper to Brigit. "Be careful around Scarlet, Brigit," he murmured. Before she could ask what the hell he was talking about, he was gone.

She frowned. _Well, of course I'm going to be careful around that cow. Why on Earth would he tell me that?_ Brigit sighed. It was looking like it would be a very long evening without Remus to keep her company in the large common room. Poking at her food half heartedly, she was looking down at her plate wishing she had brought a book. If she had been paying attention she would have seen the midnight black eagle owl dip into the Great Hall and drop a sealed letter right into Snape's outstretched hand.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry about this rather mediocre chapter, guys. I'm trying to avoid a major chapter until I have more time to write it. I'm leaving Thursday for a trip until Sunday, so I won't be posting then, but hopefully I'll get another chapter up tomorrow to satisfy you all! **

**I've started writing another fic based around Remus and another OC just after Lily and James were killed called "All the King's Men." Hopefully I'll get that posted by tomorrow as well! Be sure to check it out, I'd love to get some feedback. **


	14. Chapter 14

**Hello! Welcome to chapter fourteen! I'm going to be gone from Thursday until Sunday, so sadly no chapters will be posted then. I'll be writing when I'm away, hopefully, so I can just pop on my computer and type it up for you guys when I get home! Don't forget to review (winkwink)**

**Props to **_**White Shade**_** for catching my error in the last chapter! Remus and Brigit were walking down to dinner at 7, but since it was a full moon he had to take off. Well, it's winter. And at seven o'clock, it's dark out. SO I've decided to leave it up to your imagination to suspend belief and do whatever you want to explain this away. Maybe he was temporarily not a werewolf. Maybe he was so infatuated with Brigit that he didn't change. Maybe there was cloud cover. Whatever you'd like, I'm not going to change anything. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"'_Where did they all come from?' he stammered. 'You always told me there was just one copy left—Silvertongue's.'_

'_Yes, yes, I told you all kinds of things.' Capricorn put his hand in his pants pocket. 'You're such a gullible fellow, Dustfinger. It's fun to tell you lies. Your innocence always amazed me—after all, you lie very cleverly yourself. But you're too ready to believe what you want to believe, that's your trouble…'"_

_Inkheart, _Cornelia Funke

* * *

After the rather awkward (but delicious) dinner, Brigit scooted away from the table and stretched, her belly full and mind ill at ease. She was worried about Remus; it had been a long time since he had transformed without the company of his mates and she hoped he didn't do himself too much damage. She was planning on surprising him with a _real_ gift for Christmas, and it wouldn't work out if he was stuck in the hospital wing.

She took her time meandering down the corridors, taking this turn and that, not really caring where she ended up. Though she was fairly efficient of navigating the castle to get to her classes, she had only been attending the enormous school for four months; therefore, when she ended up on god only knows what floor at a dead end, she was confused. Looking around for some sort of familiar landmark, she wrinkled her nose in frustration.

_Okay, just go back the way you came._ She told herself. But, turning around in circles several times, she realized that there were at least three different ways to this particular spot and she had no idea which route she had taken.

"Aw, crap," she muttered to herself. Then she realized that she was a witch. Taking out her wand she waved it half heartedly and watched purple sparks erupt from the end.

"Point me," she said, and her wand immediately spun around to face north, to the right, in the palm of her hand. _Well, that didn't help at all. How the hell am I supposed to know which direction Gryffindor Tower is?_

Sighing with defeat, Brigit leaned against the cold, stone wall and slumped down it, deciding to wait until someone passed by.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" A cold, mocking voice rang through the hallway.

* * *

Brigit looked up quickly to see an approaching figure sauntering towards her and was instantly alert. She would recognize that voice anywhere.

"What are you doing here, Scarlet? You went home for the break." Brigit's voice was bored, but her heart was hammering. Being trapped alone with Scarlet Cameron was not what she would call pleasant.

"Like that's your business. Your arrogance exceeds even Potter's, Major. And _that's_ saying something," Scarlet sneered and looked particularly menacing in the low candle light. Brigit feigned aloofness and rolled her eyes.

"Whatever, Scarlet. Bye."

"Now, what kind of hospitality is that? Here I am just trying to have a pleasant conversation and you're dismissing me?" she chuckled and casually removed her wand from the inside pocket of her robes. Brigit was beginning to get frightened; this wasn't the bitchy, overly dramatic, ditzy Scarlet she was used to. This Scarlet held herself tall and her eyes were focused and gleaming with an emotion Brigit couldn't put her finger on.

Brigit eyed her carefully. "What are you going on about?"

Suddenly Scarlet was angry. She rounded on Brigit and pointed her wand, shouting "Incarcerous!!" Instantly thick ropes shot out of her outstretched wand and wound themselves tightly around Brigit before she could even react.

"What the hell?!" Brigit tried to scream, but the ropes were wound tightly around her windpipe and she was barely able to breathe, let alone scream profanities. The ropes kept squeezing tighter and tighter and she felt like she was going to pass out.

"Now that you're stuck here, you might as well listen," Scarlet hissed, glaring daggers at Brigit's bound form. "All year long I've listened to how _perfect _you are and how _delightful_ of a witch you are," she was pacing back and forth and spitting the words out as if they burned her lips. "Well, I'm SICK of it! Even Sirius Black can't keep his eyes off of you! And WHY?! You're not that pretty on a _good _day, let alone when you decide not to put on makeup," she grimaced. "You're positively _horrible_ at Herbology and can barely get out a sentence without complimenting yourself somehow! I've been wondering for _months_ why anyone would find you remotely interesting! But then I remembered," her eyes sparkled with glory. "The power you have over them."

Brigit's eyes widened in horror as she struggled harder against the ropes. _What does she know? How did she find out?_

"Yes," whispered Scarlet. "Yes, I know your precious secret, Brigit Anne Major, born April 4th, 1960 in New York City to Sors and Lorelei Major with brother Michael," Brigit stared at Scarlet in terror. "Yes, I know that you're a _siren_, Brigit. A monster of the worst kind…"

"You know nothing!" Brigit tried in vain to scream as the ropes cut off circulation even harder. Scarlet seemed to understand what she was saying anyway.

"I know much more than that, Major. Much more. I have been assigned to kill you since the very day you moved here, did you know that?" She laughed cruelly, bending on one knee to hover inches from Brigit's pale face. "I am going to kill you, Brigit Major. But first I am going to make you scream so loud that your voice box breaks. Just like your pathetic mother did when I tortured her. Just like your father did when we tortured your brother…"

_She killed my mother?! My brother?! _Brigit thought wildly to herself, her chest tightening in fear of the truth. _No, that isn't possible! Someone would have told me! But…_ CRACK!

Scarlet had flicked her wand at Brigit's head, smiling as a deep gash split open on her white forehead. Brigit could feel the hot, wet blood flowing from the wound with alarming speed. Soon her hair was slick with the gore and her robes stained. Scarlet laughed as Brigit waved in and out consciousness. She barely felt any pain. "Now," Scarlet said, enjoying herself. "Now you come with me."

One final wave of her wand and two more gashes ripped open on Brigit's arms, blood pulsing out of them as her heart struggled to keep beating. This time, Brigit felt the slices and screamed in agony as the burning sensation streamed through her body. Scarlet laughed as Brigit kept screaming in pain.

"Screaming won't help you now, Brigit! No one is going to come and help you, have you noticed? We've been here for nearly ten minutes and no one has even walked close to here. You chose a fantastic place for me to execute my plan. I thought perhaps I would have to lure that despicable werewolf somewhere to ensnare you, but you proved to be more pigheaded then I accounted for. No matter, I'm sure he will come looking for you and when he does…"

Brigit could barely hear her words as she continued writhing. She felt herself being lifted up carelessly and struggled against her binding, wishing for the end. _Just end the pain, _she prayed, _just make the pain go away! _

She closed her eyes in defeat.

Somewhere, deep in the night, a wolf howled.

Then, darkness.

* * *

"She has captured the girl, my lord," Bellatrix bowed low to her master, kissing the hem of his robes.

"Good. Where is the body being disposed of?" Lord Voldemort's eerie, cold voice demanded.

"D—disposed of, my lord?" Bellatrix stammered. "She is being held in the dungeon, my lord."

Lord Voldemort merely gazed at her; Bellatrix seemed to shrink in fright. "I gave you very clear instructions, Bellatrix Black. Kill the siren and her family and dispose of the bodies. Is that so hard to comprehend?" His voice was dangerous.

"N—no, my lord. I will see it is taken care of immediately."

* * *

**A/N: I'll just leave you with that for a couple of days ;) Make sure you keep your interest! Will Brigit live? What will Remus do when he finds out she's been taken? **

**Please review…I adore all of my reviewers and I really appreciate their feedback! Hope you enjoyed!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Helloooooo! I'm back and ready for reviews! Have you all missed me? I've posted the first chapter of my new fic called "All the King's Men", be sure to check it out! It's starring Remus as well :) **

**Is Brigit alive?! Well, read to find out!**

* * *

"_You think you know the world you are living in. If you can feel it, and touch it, and smell it, and taste it, then it must be so. You tell yourself that you would bet your life on the simple fact that the sky is blue. And then one day someone comes along and informs you emphatically that you're wrong. _Blue_, you insist. _Blue as the ocean. Blue as a whale. Blue as my daughter's eyes. _But the person shakes his head, and everyone else backs him up. _You poor girl, _they say. _All of those things—the ocean, the whale, her eyes—they're _green_. You've gotten them mixed up. You've had it wrong all along."

_Vanishing Acts, _Jodi Picoult

* * *

Brigit pried her stinging eyes open after what felt like weeks of unconsciousness. Taking in her dark and dampened surroundings she struggled against the bindings tied around her body. Looking down, to her amazement, she saw nothing tying her down. Raising her arm gingerly she felt the sharp pangs of blow flowing back into her muscles and groaned, trying to exercise her limbs back into efficacy.

_Where the hell am I? _She thought to herself, looking around. It appeared to be a chamber of sorts, possibly a dungeon. It was freezing and made of large stones scattered with dirt. Finally able to use her body, she managed to sit upright and leaned heavily against the uneven wall. Memories of the past few hours slammed through her head as she recalled how she had ended up here, wherever _here_ was. She had no way of knowing what time it was, there was no window to let in sunlight and she had been stripped of her possessions.

Her anger flared as she remembered the smirk on Scarlet's face as she slashed at Brigit's forearms. Looking down she saw two deep gashes down her arms and saw they had been roughly healed, probably to stop her bleeding to death. Reaching up she delicately probed her scalp and felt another poorly healed cut; scars she would have forever…battle wounds.

Sighing, she felt tears prick at the edges of her eyes; she realized how many things in her life she never got to do, to see, to say. _And now I'll never get to, _Brigit thought to herself, conceding to the inevitable, _I'm going to be killed for something I can't control. _

She leaned against that wall for who knows how many hours until she finally heard a clink of keys at the heavy wooden door on the far side of the chamber. Attempting to contort her face into something that resembled bravery, she took a deep breath to prepare herself for whatever was coming.

Slowly, tauntingly, the door swung open.

* * *

Remus woke up slowly, hesitantly, and opened his eyes to the bright light of morning. Knowing he was in the hospital wing, he half expected to see Brigit sitting next to him, her chestnut hair curling against her sleeping figure. He looked over expectantly and saw, not Brigit, but Dumbledore sitting next to his bed.

Apparently his surprise flickered across his face, because Dumbledore gave a sad chuckle and handed him a potion.

"Drink this, Mr. Lupin, if you please," he handed him a smoking goblet and Remus swallowed it quickly, grimacing. This month's transformation had been on the easier side, but still relatively painful. Having _just_ made it into the Shrieking Shack in time for the excruciating change into wolf form, he hadn't had time to think about anything else. Looking himself over he saw several long scars across his arms and some peeking out from under his hospital gown. Nothing _felt _broken, but he could never be sure until he talked to Madame Pomfrey.

"Is everything all right, Professor?" Remus asked hesitantly, knowing this was a stupid question. _Of course_ everything wasn't all right. How often does the headmaster visit students personally in the hospital wing unless he has something important to talk about?

"I am afraid I have some terrible news that could not wait for your recovery, Remus," Dumbledore frowned, his blue eyes dark with gloom. "Last night, after dinner, Brigit wandered away by herself." Remus looked at the old man. He had never seen Dumbledore so shaken.

"Is she okay?" Remus asked, trying to look around the professor into the other beds to see if Brigit was lying in one.

"No," Dumbledore murmured. "No, she isn't."

* * *

Brigit stared into the eyes of her executioner with surprising confidence for someone about to be killed. His eyes shone with excitement at the deed about to be done and he fingered his wand lovingly in his right hand.

"You know why I am here?" He asked, his cold voice slashing through the silence. Brigit recognized the voice at once.

"Professor Acantha?" She asked, already knowing the answer. He ignored her.

"You know why I am here?" He asked again.

_Of course I do, moron! _Brigit thought to herself, very wisely not voicing her exclamation. "Yes," she said instead, staring into the eyes of her Herbology professor who had been her protector and confidante.

"You don't sound surprised."

"I am. You should be proud, your acting was superb." Brigit didn't fear him, against all of her instincts. She could feel the adrenaline pumping in her veins and was acutely aware of everything around her, but she felt no fear of death. That fear had been conquered long ago when she had found out about the Siren wars.

"As was my daughter's. Though you seemed less accepting of her betrayal. Why is that?" His voice was curious and surprised. They could have been talking about quidditch.

"Am I supposed to understand that?" Brigit glared at him. She knew she was going to die; there was no denying it. She had no wand and no energy to use any of her special powers. He was armed and fully competent. She was only alive now because of his need to goad her.

"Scarlet was never very complimentary of you, you know," Acantha said, laughing at Brigit's face. "Yes, my daughter Scarlet. Frankly, I'm surprised it's taken you this long to find out. And here everyone's been saying how _smart _you are, Brigit," he walked forward slowly, a predator stalking its prey.

"But I know better," he said in a low voice, narrowing his eyes at her as he walked closer.

"What is it you want from me, exactly? Why not just kill me? Hasn't your precious _master _ever taught you not to play with your food?" Brigit glared back at him as his face came dangerously close to hers. He sneered.

"So eager to die, are you? So eager to end the line of sirens forever? I thought your kind was supposed to protect itself from elimination, not walking willing towards it." Brigit stared at him.

"What the hell are you talking about? I'm not the end of the line!" Brigit laughed, finally understanding. "You thought," she sputtered, "I was the _end,_" she could barely get the words out now, she was laughing so hard. "You thought I was the end of the entire line of sirens?!" She couldn't control her guffaws as she gripped her stomach as it cramped from her amusement. Wiping her eyes she looked back at the young professor. He had a look of bewilderment on his face as he took in her words.

"_Crucio!" _He roared at her suddenly. Instant and horrible pain wrenched her body as knives stabbed at her. She screamed, unable to hold it in, and clenched her eyes shut. He lifted the curse and stared at her withering figure condescendingly.

"Excuse me?" he said, his eyes dangerous. Brigit composed herself.

"And here I thought you all did your homework on us. You know nothing," she spat, tasting blood. "I may be the end of the line of _my _family, but certainly not all sirens! We are so much better at hiding than you give us credit for. I can name at least three families you haven't even _touched _yet, let alone killed one or two!"

Suddenly Acantha had her by the throat as he pushed her up against the wall. "You're _lying_!" he hissed, pressing harder against her windpipe. Brigit sputtered for breath while her feet left the ground as he bruised her neck viciously. "Do. Not. Lie. To. Me." With each word he pressed harder against her neck. She couldn't breathe; her throat was completely closed off. Kicking wildly on instinct she managed to flail her leg in just the right spot and knock the powerful man off of her as he yelled in pain. She fell to the ground, retching and gasping for breath.

"_Bitch,_" Acantha spat, holding himself as he writhed on the ground; Brigit gave a satisfied smirk as she lunged forward to snatch his wand from the ground.

"Nice seeing you," Brigit breathed, muttering the same spell Scarlet had conjured on her and watched with satisfaction as ropes bound him. As she made towards the door, a clinking of locks sounded and Brigit stopped and held her breath, clutching the slender piece of wood tightly in her hand. Metal on metal chinked as the person outside struggled to open the door.

"Acantha!" The voice called. It was female and harsh, like nails on a chalkboard. "Acantha, you've been ages, what's going on?!"

Brigit whipped around to face the bound professor and hissed, "tell her everything is fine," she pointed the wand right in his face and was satisfied to see fear on his face.

"Piss off, Bellatrix," Acantha said convincingly. "I'm enjoying myself too much to hurry," his voiced wavered a bit but Bellatrix didn't seem to notice. The sneer could be heard in her words.

"Yeah, well, speed it up. The Dark Lord wants the girl taken care of." As her footsteps faded away, Brigit started breathing again.

"Are you going to kill me, Brigit?" Acantha's voice brought Brigit back to earth as she decided how best to escape. It was no longer fearful, but mocking. "You wouldn't have the strength to do it." She turned to see him smirking despite the ropes that were tightening against him.

"You don't know me," she glared. _Kill him! _She told herself furiously. _Just say the words and let it be done! _

"Oh, I do," Acantha swore menacingly. "I do."

They had a furious stare-off as neither one dared move. Suddenly, a figure burst through the door, robes billowing and wand held high. The shadowy figure slashed the wand through the air and Acantha fell to the ground, dead. As Brigit opened her mouth to scream, or cry, or cower, the figure grabbed her round the waist, heaved her over his (_her? its? _Brigit thought, confused) shoulder and ran towards the door. Death Eaters flew every which way as the wizard (who Brigit now realized had a black bag over his head like a muggle burglar) sprinted through the halls. The element of surprise was on their side as spells flew all around them, none of them close to the escapees. The second they had burst through the doors, they spun on the spot and apparated away.

* * *

"What do you _mean_ she's ESCAPED?!" The Dark Lord roared, overturning the desk at which he sat and rising to his feet in rage. "_Crucio!" _He bellowed at the man kneeling in front of him who immediately screamed in agony.

"M—my lord," the man whispered. "She was aided by an unknown man; we did not stand a chance against him!"

"_Lies!!"_ Lord Voldemort hissed, sending another torture curse at the informant. "You didn't _try hard enough!!_" As the man thrashed in excruciating pain, Voldemort probed his mind for answers. Finding the memory he wanted, he removed the curse with a casual flick of his wand. "Go, Rosier. Get out of my _sight!_"

As the man scurried away, bowing feverishly, Lord Voldemort righted the desk and sat behind it, thinking hard.

_She will pay_.

* * *

**A/N: So here you all are hoping for answers and you get this instead! Not exactly what you were thinking was it? ; ) Hope you liked it! Be sure to REVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEW.**


	16. Chapter 16

**How are we already on chapter sixteen?! Good God!! We meet a new character this chapter (I know, terribly exciting) who is one of my favorite characters!**

**So, question for you all. Is my style of writing (flipping from one POV to another) too choppy? I've been thinking lately that I should stop it so that it isn't too confusing. What are your thoughts?**

**This chapter is for the lovely rain pounding on my window that made me stay indoors and write until my fingers fell off :)**

**Hmmm…who was Brigit's savior! I dunno! Let's find out!**

* * *

"_Firearms aren't really an issue in Europe, so when traveling abroad, my first question usually relates to barnyard animals. 'What do your roosters say?' is a good icebreaker, as every country has its own unique interpretation. In Germany, where dogs bark 'vow vow' and both the frog and the duck say 'quack,' the rooster greets the dawn with a hearty 'kik-a-riki.' Greek roosters crow 'kiri-a-kee' and in France they scream 'coco-rico,' which sounds like one of those horrible premixed cocktails with a pirate on the label. When told that an American rooster says 'cock-a-doodle-doo,' my hosts look at me with disbelief and pity."_

_Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, _David Sedaris

* * *

Brigit was tired of waking up in a strange, unknown place aching and confused. This time, the bed seemed slightly familiar and a hundred times more comfortable; still, it was strange and unknown and she was definitely aching and more confused than she had ever been.

"Hello?" she called out stupidly. Squinting in the early morning light shining through the window about her headboard, she observed the small yet cozy room she had been placed in. Stretching her arms and wincing as she felt her bruises and scrapes she saw the doorknob across the room turn and the door swung open.

The young man standing in the doorway looked to be about twenty years old and had a casual grace about him as he leaned against the door frame. His long brown hair fell into his shining blue eyes (very much like a young marauder we know so well) and his quidditch player build showed even through his wizards robes. He walked towards her slowly and knelt down next to her bed, taking her hand with his.

"Hey, deirfiúr," he said, his deep voice swelled over her like velvet and she could smell the cinnamon on his breath. She smiled.

"Hey, Michael."

* * *

"I have decided to end the search for the remaining sirens for the moment."

"M—master?"

"What was the point, I asked myself, in a futile search for one seemingly unimportant monster?" Lord Voldemort was pleased with his plan; he was an extremely clever man after all. "I say that as I gain power I will convince the _other _sirens to join me and then the Major will have no other option than to join me as well."

"Oh, very good, my lord! Yes, she won't have any other option than to join yo—"

Voldemort silenced him with a stern look. "Now, where are we with the giants?"

* * *

"Michael," Brigit breathed, squeezing her brother's hands. She leaned forward into his embrace as he moved to sit next to her on the bed. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, Brigit," he sighed. She nuzzled into his chest. "This is a safe house, deirfiúr. Dumbledore contacted me yesterday and I took it upon myself to find you."

Brigit pulled away to look into her older brother's eyes. "How did you know where—?"

"Dumbledore knew. I've stopped trying to figure out how that man knows everything."

"Thank you," Brigit smiled. "You were almost too late." He nodded sadly.

"Are you okay?" He looked her over quickly, bushing her hair over her shoulder and prodding her neck for injuries. She swatted his hand away with an impatient

"Yes, I'm fine. But Acantha isn't. Did you kill him?" She looked at her brother for the answer in his eyes. There was guilt and sadness there; he had never killed before.

"I had to save you, Brigit. I _had _to…" he swallowed hard. She squeezed his hand reassuringly.

"Acantha said…" Brigit felt tears prick at her eyes. "He said that…mum and dad…" She looked up.

"Yes," Michael said to her unasked question. "Yes, they're dead. I'm so sorry, Brigit. I couldn't save them." She felt moisture on her hand and saw her brother was crying. He _never _cried.

"It wasn't your fault, Michael," Brigit said. As he opened his mouth to argue she pinched him on the arm. "It _wasn't. _They knew what they were getting into. Their main concern was keeping us safe." He nodded; she was right, of course.

"What day is it?" Brigit asked. She had realized she didn't know how long she was in that dungeon.

"Merry Christmas," Michael answered, smiling through his tears. "You slept through Christmas Eve and it's Christmas morning now."

Brigit frowned. "I'm not leaving the safe house, am I?" Michael stared at her, trying to read her thoughts.

"No," he said sadly. "No, you're not."

* * *

The siblings spent the day lying around in their pajamas, reminiscing and wishing they had better food to eat than stale popcorn and flat butterbeer.

"You know what would be great?" Michael asked as the grand father clock in the foyer dinged noon.

"What?"

"If we had presents."

Brigit laughed. "I bought everyone presents but they're in my room at the castle. I suppose I could summon them…"

"No, you couldn't. No spells work in this safe house, remember?" Brigit frowned. Dumbledore had suspicions that a magical tracker was on the house and Voldemort would be able to find out if anyone magical was staying here; so, he had arranged it that these two very capable wizards were without magic for their stay here. Needless to say, they weren't too happy about it.

"I've never cooked without magic before," Michael grumbled as he tried to make them a Christmas dinner. After three unsuccessful attempts at boiling pasta he gave up and Brigit quickly stepped in, settling for tossing a salad and heating up some old spaghetti.

"Maybe if I could just write to Remus, he could—"

"No."

Brigit looked into the stern eyes of her brother with indignation. "C'mon, Michael. Remus isn't going to tell anyone and I'm sure that—"

"NO, Brigit, for God's sake take no for an answer!" He snapped at her, gesturing angrily with his empty cup. "Our parents died because they tried to contact us, Brigit. Did you know that? They _died._ I'm sure Remus doesn't want to hear from you _so badly _that he wants you DEAD."

They stared at each other as Brigit's anger faded and was replaced by sadness.

"Okay," she mumbled, serving them both a portion of pasta and warm butterbeer. "Okay."

* * *

Remus was sitting in Dumbledore's office wrapped up tightly in a hospital blanket Madame Pomfrey insisted on sending him with. He sat curled in his chair staring into the eyes of the headmaster as he was told Brigit's situation.

"Her brother, Michael, managed to save her from Acantha," he was saying. Remus frowned. "Yes," Dumbledore said, reading his face. "Professor Acantha was a spy. I had thought as much for several weeks and he has proven himself a dark wizard as of late."

"Where is she now, sir?" Remus asked hesitantly, unsure if the professor would answer his questions.

"A safe house. Her and her brother will be unable to do any magic or contact anyone until I say otherwise, I'm afraid." The headmaster looked suddenly old and weary.

"I can't even write her—"

"No, Mr. Lupin. I'm sorry. Are you interested in staying here for the remainder of the holidays?" Remus was thrown by the change of subject.

"Do…do I have other options?"

"Mr. and Mrs. Potter have asked for your company for Christmas dinner tonight. I am certain they would not object to you staying with them until classes resume. You stayed there this summer, did you not?"

"Yeah, I did. I guess I can go there. There really isn't any reason for me to stay here by myself…"

"Very good. They're expecting you immediately." The headmaster stood up and waved his wand; Remus' packed trunk and traveling cloak appeared out of nowhere. Remus stared at the old man, surprised. Apparently he had very little choice in the matter even if he _didn't _want to leave. "If you will," Dumbledore said, gesturing at the large bowl of floo powder sitting next to the grand fireplace.

Pinching a bit between his fingers he stepped into the fireplace. "Thank you, professor," he said.

Dumbledore nodded. "Please be careful, Remus. And please do not try to contact her. She is grave enough danger without that added suspicion."

Remus nodded and very clearly spoke the Potter's address, throwing the powder into the green flames. The last thing he saw before spinning out of sight was Dumbledore sitting at his desk, his head in his hands.

* * *

**So, I've decided to speed this fic up. I'm getting bored writing about this year. We're going to assume that Christmas was uneventful at the Potter's and everyone (except Brigit, of course) returned to the castle unscathed and ready to finish their final year at Hogwarts. **

* * *

**About Four Months Later.**

Brigit had paced the length of the tiny safe house fourteen times. She had read every book in the house, played every card game she could play by herself, cooked everything she knew how to cook. She had even tried (unsuccessfully) to kick her shoes into the trashcan on the far end of the room for three hours. Brigit was bored.

"Michael!" She screeched, sitting up on her bed. She heard him sigh in the living room, put down his book with a dull _thud _and walk to her bedroom.

"What?"

"I'm bored."

"I know. You told me five minutes ago when you made me come in here again."

"But I'm _BORED_!"

"What do you want me to do about it?!"

"Entertain me!"

Michael glared at her for a moment and then walked from the room. Brigit frowned as she heard him sit back on the couch and pick up his book again.

_Nothing _had happened since she came here back in December. It was now April and she hadn't had any real contact with anyone except her annoying brother for _four months. _If she didn't get out soon she was going to do something drastic.

"Hey, Michael?" she called. She could practically see his grimace.

"I'm not coming in there again."

"When's the last time we heard from Dumbledore?"

"Uh, like, a month ago? Who cares? He has better things to do than check up on _you, _conceited one." Brigit glared and walked from her room to see Michael ignoring her on the couch. She plopped herself next to him and he scooted further away, not looking up.

"I thought maybe he could bring us a T.V. or something."

Michael finally looked up at her scathingly. "What are you, four years old? Learn to entertain yourself. Rearrange the cabinets or something. Clean the house. Organize the photos. I don't care; just get _away _from me for Christ's sake."

* * *

Remus was sitting on his bed pretending to do his Potions homework when Sirius and James came bursting into the room laughing. Frowning as his two insane friends started changing out of their quidditch robes he set down his quill and lay against his pillow with a sigh. It was the night before the full moon and he was already exhausted. He hadn't heard from Brigit since Christmas and he was missing her terribly; he was surrounded by his worry for her constantly.

"Moony, wanna go down to dinner with us?" James asked, eyeing his friend carefully. They didn't know what had happened at Christmas (Dumbledore had said not to tell anyone) but knew that Brigit was gone and Remus was suffering.

"No, I'm not hungry. You two go down without me." They frowned at him and Sirius patted him sympathetically.

"We'll bring you up some food for later, 'kay?" Remus nodded and they left the room.

Burying himself under his pillow he sighed sadly. Depression had swelled around him without Brigit's presence and he knew it was silly; he just couldn't bring himself to get excited about anything anymore.

"Remus?" He looked up to see Lily standing in the doorway hesitantly. Brigit's absence had affected her as well: she looked worried and tired.

"Hey, Lil. Aren't you going down to dinner?" She shook her head and shuffled her feet.

"Can I hang with you?" At his agreement she came in and sat at the edge of his bed, twirling her hair absent mindedly. "I'm worried about Brigit," she stated, looking up.

"So am I…Dumbledore told you everything, didn't he?" Lily nodded. Dumbledore had summoned her to his office when classes had resumed in January to explain that she couldn't contact Brigit. "I'm…I'm afraid I'm never going to see her again, Lily," to his horror, Remus felt tears well up in his eyes.

She nodded sadly. "Me too, Remus. Me too."

* * *

**A/N: The next chapter will continue with Brigit's boredom and Remus' worry; I'm pretty sure we'll jump from April to after they graduate in June and the war **_**really **_**begins. Hope you enjoyed! Review, please!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Sorry this took me so long to update, everyone. There's been a family emergency that I've had to sort out and I've barely had time to think let alone sit at the computer for an hour. Hopefully the updates will be out quicker coming up, assuming everything stays calm for a bit. This chapter is going to be short (sorry!) because I don't really have a lot of time right now.**

**So I've had Brigit stuck in that boring safe-house for **_**months. **_**I can't imagine she's too happy, can you? **

* * *

"'_Are you _trying _to be annoying?' I demanded…'I _am _female,' I complained. 'That 'it' business is really getting on my nerves.'_

_Jared blinked in surprise. Then his face settled back into harder lines. 'Because of the body you wear?'_

_Wes glared at him._

'_Because of _me,_' I hissed._

'_By whose definition?'_

'_How about yours? In my species, I am the one that bears young. Is that not female enough for you?'"_

_The Host, _Stephenie Meyer

* * *

**June, 1978**

"Brigit!" she heard her named yelled from the other end of the house. Walking slowly through the messy kitchen to her brother's room, she paused in the doorway. He was sitting on his bed, twiddling his thumbs.

"What, Michael?"

"I'm bored."

Brigit was having déjà vu. "I know. You told me five minutes ago when you made me come in here again."

"But I'm _BORED!" _Michael grinned up at her scowling face.

"What day is it?" Brigit asked suddenly. Michael frowned, thinking.

"The sixteenth?"

Brigit sighed, looking crestfallen. She sat on the untidy bed and leaned against the wall. Michael looked at her, puzzled.

"School's out for the summer today," Brigit explained, feeling tears well up in her eyes at the thought of her friends graduating without her. "They're done with school forever. Without me."

Michael patted her sympathetically. "Don't be sad, deirfiúr. You'll see them again." Brigit looked into his eyes, shining icy-blue. She nodded dejectedly.

"I suppose we could expect a visit from Dumbledore soon then, shouldn't we?"

"Yes, you should," a voice called out from the doorway. Spinning around wildly, Brigit saw her former headmaster standing there with an understanding look on his face. The siblings stood in greeting, walking over to him.

"Hello, professor," Brigit mumbled, looking at the floor instead of his too-knowing eyes. Michael glared at her.

"Would you like some tea?" Michael offered graciously. Dumbledore shook his head.

"I think we should have a talk, yes?" Dumbledore gestured towards the living room.

As they sat down, Brigit was acutely aware of how thoroughly messy the house was and her ratty appearance. With no one to visit them, both her and her brother hadn't bothered showering in quite a few days nor cleaned the house in weeks. It was starting to smell. Dumbledore wrinkled his nose delicately as he perched on the couch.

"Now I understand why children aren't supposed to be in safe-houses alone," Dumbledore muttered to himself, flicking a bit of dust off of his magenta robes.

Brigit smiled in spite of herself. "What do you want to talk about, sir?"

Dumbledore looked at her, a smile crossing his face. "I think it's about time we got you out of this safe-house, Brigit."

* * *

As Remus packed his school trunk and cleaned out his dormitory for the last time, he didn't think he had ever felt this miserable. He was done with Hogwarts, his home away from home, he hadn't heard from Brigit in six months, and he wasn't sure when he would see his friends after they parted ways this evening.

"Moony!" came a voice from beside him. Sirius was standing there, waving something in his face. "You coming with us?" Remus stared at him, not understanding. Sirius sighed and handed him a piece of parchment.

Remus read it quickly, skimming. A smile broke out on his face as he slowly understood what was going on; he and Sirius were invited to spend several weeks of the summer at the Potter's! He looked at James, who was nearly bouncing out of his shoes, and nodded once. James whopped in delight and snatched the parchment back to scribble a harried reply on the back and, as he was running to go to the owlry, an owl swopped into the room.

"Artemis!" Remus recognized the beautiful owl at once. She flew down to land next to James and stuck out her leg obediently. James looked slightly confused. "She's Brigit's," Remus said quietly. James nodded quickly and attached the letter. As the owl flew back out of the window, Remus noticed both Sirius and James staring at him.

"I'm fine, guys, don't worry," Remus tried to reassure his friends. "Where's Peter?" Sirius rolled his eyes and James shrugged. The fourth marauder had been very absent from their lives this past year; increasingly so in the past few months. They stopped expecting him for meals and really only spoke with him when he went with them on the full moon. Lately, however, he had been skipping those nights as well. "He's been acting strangely, hasn't he?" Remus asked rhetorically.

"James!" came Lily's voice from the doorway. Remus looked up in time to see them kissing enthusiastically and stifled a laugh. "Dumbledore wants to see everyone before the goodbye feast," she announced. They all looked at her, confused. She shrugged and led the way out of the room.

Making their way through the now empty corridors (all of the other students had left earlier in the day, the seventh years were having their traditional goodbye feast that evening and then riding the train back to King's Cross) the foursome chatted quietly.

"It's too quiet," Sirius said and promptly began to whistle loudly to break up the silence of the castle. James joined in and they linked arms to skip around the corner where Dumbledore's office was. The whistling stopped abruptly and Remus looked at Lily, who frowned. Following their crazy friends around the corner faster, they saw them frozen in place, mouths hanging open in mid-whistle. Having eyes only for his friends, he waved his hand in front of Sirius' shocked eyes.

"James?" asked Lily worriedly. Remus stood next to her, prodding his mates on the shoulder. A small cough from behind him captured his attention and he turned. His mouth fell open in shock and he gasped, which caused Lily to turn around also.

They stood there, staring at the sight before them, for several seconds, eyes wide. Lily recovered first, running forward and leaping into the arms of the visitor.

"BRIGIT!!"

* * *

"Hello, Peter," a frosty voice said from the shadows. Though the June day was warm and sunny, the pudgy boy felt a chill run through him. He walked forward slowly towards the tree where his rendezvous was waiting.

"Scarlet?" Peter gasped, recognizing the blonde-haired bitch immediately. Sure, they had become "friends" this past year, but she hadn't been in school since Christmas, just like Professor Acantha. "What are you doing here? I thought I was meeting—"

"I know who you thought you were meeting," snapped Scarlet impatiently. Peter immediately fell silent. She gestured towards the dark trees of the Forbidden Forest. "Walk with me." Peter followed obediently, just like she knew he would.

Peter trotted behind her, already huffing as she strode briskly into the darkness. "What do you want?" he asked warily.

"Come now, Peter. Be charitable. Can't I just want to see my old mate from school?" asked Scarlet, sneering. "But now that you mention it," she said, pretending to be thinking hard. "There _is _something you can do for me."

* * *

Remus was on cloud nine. Without thinking about what he was doing, he strode forward towards the woman he loved, took her in his arms and kissed her fiercely. He felt the familiar body meld against him and inhaled deeply; she smelled exactly the same. How long they remained like that, he didn't know; it could have been seconds or weeks. A small sound brought him back to earth and he looked up from Brigit's green eyes to see Dumbledore standing behind her, smirking slightly, and an angry looking man with his arms folded in front of him tightly. He couldn't help but ignore him once he heard the most beautiful voice he had ever heard.

"Remus," Brigit breathed, stroking his hair out his eyes. He kissed her forehead, her eye lids, her cheeks, her nose, her lips. He felt euphoric and he didn't care who was watching.

"Brigit," Remus replied, his voice shaking with emotion. "Brigit."

* * *

**A/N: Awwwww!**


	18. Chapter 18

**I'VE RETURNNNNNEEEDDDDDDDDD.**

**But, really, sorry about the long delay on this one, folks. I had a legit reason, I swear! My grandfather passed away last Monday so I've been dealing with my **_**enormous **_**family (my mom's one of eleven) and the insane drama that comes from a death. But I'm back now and ready to write! Onward, then, without future ado!**

**I'm getting ready to wrap up this story so I'm going to be jumping around a bit more. Don't worry, though; plenty of drama, death, and werewolf lovin' to come!**

* * *

"'_It's going to be okay, you know.' He grinned a wide, face-stretching grin. 'That stuff I said to Jared…Well, I won't say I _lied, _exactly, because it's all true if you look at it from a certain angle, but from another angle, it wasn't so much the truth as it was what he needed to hear.'_

_I just stared; I didn't understand a word of what he was saying."_

_The Host, _Stephenie Meyer

* * *

**August**

"That's the last box," Remus huffed as he plopped the heavy looking box on the kitchen table and stood in front of it. "At least, it should be. For a girl who doesn't have stuff you sure have a lot of _stuff, _Bri. We haven't even unloaded the furniture and the floor is covered in boxes!"

Brigit grinned at her boyfriend. "I know, I can help it. I kind of went on a shopping spree with my inheritance when Michael kicked me out and I had to furnish an apartment by myself."

"You make me sound awful, Brigit," Michael's voice popped in from the bathroom he was currently painting.

"You _are,_" Brigit snapped back; she was still pretty pissed at her brother for deciding to live with his long-time girlfriend instead of his 'poor, homeless, orphaned sister' as she liked to put it.

"Hey, Brigit? I like this place. Can I live with you?" Sirius' walked through the open door supporting a long couch with James at the other end of it. Brigit laughed.

"Only if you promise not to bring any girls home, Sirius. I won't be cooking breakfast for any strangers you pick up in pubs." Sirius' face fell slightly which caused the entire populace of the small apartment to laugh.

"Sorry, Padfoot," Remus replied, sliding his arm around Brigit and placing a kiss on her temple. "Not enough room for you; there's only one bedroom."

"I think we could make it work. Where do you want this?" He gestured to the couch he had set down unceremoniously in the center of the kitchen.

"In that corner," Brigit said, pointing to the other side of the room.

"Lunch time!" This time it was Lily who walked through the door balancing several bags of food followed by Erin, Michael's girlfriend, who was carrying trays of coffee. Brigit had decided on an apartment in London, surrounded by muggles to try and hide-out a bit until Voldemort calmed down (ha, likely). Therefore, Lily and Erin, being muggle savvy, were elected to get lunch and Starbucks for the busy movers. Everyone (save Peter) volunteered enthusiastically to help Brigit move in (though Brigit thought Sirius and James only wanted to so they could see a muggle neighborhood).

The boys dove for the food while the girls plotted out the best place for furniture in the modest flat. Several hours passed in this manner and eventually only Remus, Brigit, Michael, and Erin were left. Michael had taken a while to warm up to the idea of his baby sister in a serious relationship with a werewolf, but eventually accepted it (sort of). Erin was a sweet girl, unnaturally tall and beautiful with long blonde hair and pretty blue eyes that found Michael's with sickening frequency that Brigit had a hard time getting used to.

As Michael and Erin were about to part, Michael pulled Remus aside and they started conversing in low voices as Erin and Brigit finished their pleasantries. They stared at the pair curiously as Michael started gesturing with his finger and Remus seemed to be using a soothing voice.

"I bet he's trying to scare him off," Erin muttered, casting a wary glance at the two men. "He's too protective of you; I've always told him so."

Brigit grinned; she and Erin were actually getting along pretty well, all things considered. "Well, he needs to get over it, frankly. Remus isn't going anywhere and he can certainly hold his own."

Erin nodded and opened her mouth to reply, but Michael sidled up next to her, put his arm around her waist and starting leading her towards the door.

"Bye, guys! Thanks for your help today!" Brigit called after them and shut the door quietly behind them while Remus finished waving. They stared at one another for a few moments, lost in each other's eyes. Finally, Remus walked towards her and took her in his arms. She leaned against him heavily and took in his scent, sighing slightly.

"It's been a whirl-wind, hasn't it?" He said softly, stroking her hair absent mindedly. She murmured her assent against his chest.

"I feel like we haven't been alone the entire time I've been back. After your graduation, I was living with Lily and then the entire group wanted to apartment search with us and now moving in…" she sighed again. "I've missed you even though you've been right here."

She looked up into his eyes once more and, to her surprise, they were smoldering with desire as he stared at her. "Brigit," he whispered, his voice shaking slightly. "You know I would wait for you forever, right?" She responded by kissing him fiercely and wrapping her arms around his neck as the kiss deepened. "I'll take that as a yes," he murmured against her lips. She laughed lightly and nodded her assent.

"Um…listen," Brigit started, and Remus pulled away at her tone. She sounded embarrassed and shy, very unlike her.

"What?"

"We might have a problem," she said slowly, looking at her feet. "You see, I don't have a bed." Remus laughed loudly.

"Is that all?" she nodded sadly and he took her hands with his and kissed her forehead soundly. "Brigit, I think we're creative enough to figure out how to have fun without a bed."

* * *

"IS THAT THE BEST YOU CAN DO?!" A female voice rang out in laughter as she avoided yet another curse.

A flash of green light and a quick tumble. Another flash of light.

"Come out, come out wherever you are!" a cold voice taunted as the predator stalked its prey. Clearly, the young maiden was hiding. _So juvenile_ the man thought as he rounded the corner to see the panting girl looking in the other direction.

"_Avada Kedavra!" _A flash of green light snaked its way through the thin piece of wood and into the back of the girl. She gave a small yelp and fell to the ground, unmoving. The Deatheater didn't bother to check if she was dead; there was no way she had survived a direct hit. He made his way over to the corpse, arranging the body just so and snapped the girls' thin neck with a loud _crunch_.

He barely glanced at the young blonde before apparating away, ignoring the look of pure terror etched in her harsh features for all of eternity.

"The deed has been done, my lord," Severus Snape bowed low to his master as he updated Lord Voldemort of the evening's doings.

"And the body?"

"Arranged to look like an accident."

"Good. Now you must go alert her father, Snape, inform him of the 'accident' that led to his daughter's death. Make it convincing. You understand why this endeavor has been done, yes? She was a hindrance. A liability. Sloppy."

"Yes, master, I will go at once."

* * *

"Dead?" Acantha's usually hard features contorted into ones of despair. "How?"

"She fell from a great height, as I understand it. I have not seen the body," Severus' voice was harsher than he intended it to be. _Relax _he told himself. _You need to be sympathetic so he doesn't suspect you. _"Is there anything I can do for you, Dave?"

The Deatheater shook his head sadly and looked at his hands, unsure how to take in the information of Scarlet's death. "What do I do now?" He asked miserably and for one moment, Snape felt a wave of uncertainty of his actions. Nevertheless, he had a role to play.

"Go see your master."

* * *

**A/N: A small chapter today; I need to get back in the swing of things. I hope you enjoyed it (even though it was kind of pathetically short) and I would love reviews! As you can imagine, I've been kind of down this past week. I would really appreciate some support or love :)**


	19. Chapter 19

**Bon jour! Again, I've got a good reason for taking longer to update: I injured my wrist. Badly. So it hurts to type. I'm currently typing with one hand, which means this chapter might have some errors and it'll take me like three years to type a whole paragraph. ;) Where did we leave off? Oh, yeah. Brigit and Remus were thinking of creative ways to celebrate her return and Acantha (booooo) was dealing with Scarlet's death (yaaaaay).**

**On another note, I plan on introducing the marriage of James and Lily in this chapter. The problem with this is that J.K. Rowling hasn't announced the exact date when they were married, so I'm going to pretend it was September of 1979, a month before Harry was conceived. I like to have my characters married before the children pop out (sorry Julie ). I plan on covering a lot of time this chapter so be prepared for some jumping around!**

**Kind of a long quote today, but it's one of my favorites and has nothing at all to do with the story!**

* * *

"_In France and Germany gifts are exchanged on Christmas Eve, while in the Netherlands the children open their presents on December 5, in celebration of St. Nicholas Day. It sounded sort of quaint until I spoke to a man named Oscar…_

…_Unlike the jolly, obsess American Santa, Saint Nicholas is painfully thin and dresses not unlike the pope, topping his robes with a tall hat resembling an embroidered tea cozy. The outfit, I was told, is a carryover from his former career, when he served as the bishop of Turkey…_

…_One doesn't want to be too much of a cultural chauvinist, but this seemed completely wrong to me. For starters, Santa didn't _used to do _anything. He's not retired and, more important, he has nothing to do with Turkey. It's too dangerous there, and the people wouldn't appreciate him. When asked how he got from Turkey to the North Pole, Oscar told me with complete conviction that Saint Nicholas currently resides in Spain, which again is simply not true. Though he could probably live wherever he wanted, Santa chose the North Pole specifically because it is harsh and isolated. No one can spy on him, and he doesn't have to worry about people coming to the door. Anyone can come to the door in Spain, and in that outfit he'd most certainly be recognized. On top of that, aside from a few pleasantries, Santa doesn't speak Spanish. 'Hello. How are you? Can I get you some candy?' Fine. He knows enough to get by, but he's not fluent and he certainly doesn't eat tapas."_

_Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, _David Sedaris

* * *

**December, 1978**

"Merry Christmas!" James greeted Brigit and Remus at the door as he toasted them with a very full cup of eggnog.

Remus grinned at his pronged friend. "You too! Where's everyone else?"

"Uhh…Lily's in the kitchen…"

"That's where I'll be!" Brigit interjected, stepping around the quite tipsy Marauder and into the kitchen.

"Sirius is busy flirting with Mary on the couch over there while Alice and Frank make fun of him, Marlene, Dorcas, Gideon and Fabian are around here somewhere annnnnd I'm right here!" James grinned and led the werewolf into the living room where a tall Christmas tree twinkled merrily at him. A drink was pressed into his hands by James, who plopped down on the couch next to him as Remus greeted the others heartily.

"Where's Peter?" The room seemed considerably quieter after Remus asked this. He looked around for the pudgy blonde head that had been so absent from their lives as of late.

"He said he couldn't come," Marlene murmured softly and Fabian snorted in disbelief.

"Said it was some secret Order business he had to attend to," sneered James, who proceeded with a hearty sip of eggnog. "Whatever. We can party withou' him, yeah?" Tentative agreement followed this statement and Sirius broke the slightly awkward silence by jumping into a tale about his latest girlfriend. The ladies around them were slightly put off by this topic and made way to the kitchen to help poor Lily who was struggling with Christmas dinner all by herself.

* * *

"How cliché are we?" Brigit asked later as she muttered a spell to have the cream whipped in a bowl in front of her.

"What d'you mean?" Lily asked as she inspected the turkey and gave a loud sigh.

"We women are busy cooking the meal while the men sit around and drink."

"Oh," Lily said, laughing as Alice managed to cover herself completely in flour. "Yeah, but would you really want them helping?"

The memory of Sirius trying to bake chocolate chip cookies in Brigit's oven a few months ago flashed in everyone's mind.

"No." They said in unison, laughing again.

"Here, Marlene and I will set the table," Dorcas said, grabbing several sets of silverware and going to the dining room.

"Yeah, and we'll follow behind them and fix everything they mess up," Mary and Alice giggled as a loud "_hey!"_ came from the next room. Alone in the kitchen, Lily suddenly stiffened slightly and turned to face Brigit, who had somehow gotten herself drenched in cranberry sauce.

"Severus is a Death Eater now," Lily said softly. Brigit turned to face her friend, who looked downcast.

"Oh, Lil," Brigit sighed, placing a reassuring hand on her friend's shoulder. "You knew it was coming, didn't you?"

"That doesn't really make it any easier to hear, though. I tried contacting him the other day, to see what he was going to do for the holidays and he just…" Lily broke off, tears shining in her almond shaped eyes. Brigit felt totally helpless; what was she supposed to say about a man she barely knew who went to the dark side? It was impossible to trust anyone these days, even your friends. Just getting everyone together for Christmas had been an ordeal.

"You can't possibly still trust him, can you?" Brigit looked at her sternly. "Because that would be really stupid, Lily. You can't contact him, you know that right? He's dangerous—"

"He's not dangerous!" Lily shrieked suddenly, wagging her finger at Brigit. "You don't even know him!"

"You don't know him now either!" Brigit snapped back. "He's a Death Eater, Lily. A _Death Eater. _He would kill you in an instant given the chance! It doesn't matter that once upon a time you two were bosom buddies! This war doesn't work that way! It's life or death and given the choice those bastards will _always _choose their own life!"

"What's going on here?" Remus stepped into the kitchen carrying several empty glasses. He took in the sight of Lily and Brigit glaring at each other, pointing their index fingers at one another and stifled a small laugh at the ridiculous scene.

"Nothing, Remus, just catching up," Brigit said through gritted teeth as she continued to stare at her best friend. Remus took the hint and slipped quickly through the door back into the living room.

"Look," Lily sighed, running her fingers through her hair and finally breaking the angry staring contest they had going on. "I'm sorry. Everything is getting so messed up with this war and I'm so worried about everyone in the Order…"

Brigit nodded, not really ready to apologize. "Your time is better spent working for the Order than worrying about Snape, though." Lily sighed again. Clearly, Brigit was going to be difficult about this.

"You don't know what you're talking about, Brigit," Lily said darkly.  
"He was always loyal to me, even after that…incident in fifth year. He kept trying to make amends, but I wouldn't…" she looked ready to burst into tears and Brigit moved forward instinctually.

"It isn't your fault, Lily. He would have joined You-Know-Who even if you had been friends with him again. And then it would have been even harder to take the news."

"He looked out for you too, you know," Lily said slowly, and Brigit's eyes widened.

"What?"

"One of the times he approached me, trying to apologize again, he said that some of the Slytherin's were talking about, well, you," Brigit's eyes turned fierce. Why hadn't Lily told her this before?! "He said he had to tell you the password to Dumbledore's office one time, and that you seemed really anxious."

"Isn't that suspicious enough? He knew Dumbledore's office password!"

Lily looked angry now. "Why are you so quick to judge someone you don't even know? He had been in Dumbledore's office earlier that day being punished about something or another, I dunno, but because you seemed so desperate he told you the password!" Brigit fell silent.

"Oh." Brigit had the grace to look sheepish.

"He's a really decent guy, Brigit. Truly."

"Ladies, how long are we going to have to wait for a simple Christmas meal, here?!" Sirius' head popped into their conversation and Lily threw a dish towel at him.

"Easy for you to say, isn't it?!"

"Such violence, Lily! Prongs!" he called loudly, grinning, "your girl is throwing stuff at me!"

"You probably deserved it!" James' voice called back. Sirius laughed and ducked back out of the aromatic kitchen.

"Come on," Lily said, not meeting Brigit's eyes. "Let's just forget about Order stuff for one night and try to be happy with each other's company, okay?" Their eyes met and Lily looked so desperate that Brigit had to agree.

* * *

**February, 1979**

"Guys, guess what!!" Lily's practically bounded into her flat, twirling around and laughing ecstatically.

"What?" laughed Remus, encircling Brigit's waist with his long arms.

Lily replied by merely wagging her hand in their faces. A shining engagement ring winked on her left hand and Brigit squealed loudly and pounced on her red-headed friend. Lily laughed and hugged back as Remus said "Congratulations!"

"Have you set the date?" Brigit asked happily, jumping up and down and clapping her hands together.

"September 1," Lily's jade eyes shone with excitement. "The day we first met!"

"And the day you first realized you hated his guts," Remus added, chuckling. Lily shrugged his comment off.

"It's not like I didn't have legit reasons for despising the little toe-rag. Anyway!" She turned back to Brigit. "You'll be maid of honor?"

Brigit couldn't formulate words; she merely responded by throwing her arms around her best friend again and twirling them both around. Lily couldn't contain her laughter. "I'll take that as a yes!"

"Let's start planning! Right now!" Brigit pulled her to the table and Remus kissed her cheek and muttered something about 'too busy to help,' which Brigit ignored. She and Lily rolled their eyes in unison.

"Boys!"

* * *

**September, 1979**

"It gives me great pleasure to introduce to you for the very first time Mr. and Mrs. James Potter!" The crowd burst into applause as the happy couple walked back down the aisle, arm in arm, grinning like mad. The best man (Sirius) and maid of honor (Brigit) followed them with Remus and Mary trailing close behind them. The wedding party made their way to where the reception was being held with the guests following eagerly.

Several hours later after the delicious food had been eaten and the drunken relatives taken home, only the Marauders and their significant others remained. Lily and James were being disgustingly in love as they fed one another bits of wedding cake of a fork and Sirius mimed vomiting behind his top hat. Remus and Brigit were almost equally sickening as they shared a piece of cake (though they each had their own fork) while staring lovingly at each other and Peter laughed heartily from the large amount of wine he had consumed.

For the first time in a long while, all was well.

* * *

**October, 1979**

_Tap. Tap. Tap. _

"Mmm…"

_Tap. Tap. Tap. _

"Five more minutes…"

_TAP. TAP. TAP. _

"Ahh!" shrieked Brigit as she tumbled out of bed, bringing the sheets with her. Remus' yelp of surprise followed and Brigit cursed loudly as she righted herself. "What in Merlin's pants is going on?!"

"S'eres an ol…" Remus muttered sleepily. The tapping grew louder.

"What?" came Brigit's reply. She was still on the floor.

"There's an owl…"

"Oh!" she exclaimed, standing up shakily. There was indeed an owl outside her bedroom window, tapping impatiently as it gripped a piece of parchment in its talons. "It's Artemis!"

Remus replied with a loud snore. Glancing at the clock as she went to open the window, she saw it was barely past two in the morning. Who on earth could be writing to her at this time? Opening the window wider to let the tawny owl in, she took the parchment and heard Artemis fly gracefully to her perch and drink from her water dish.

She unrolled the letter eagerly, now wide awake. She read through the slightly frantic note quickly, recognizing Lily's elegant handwriting immediately. Laughing to herself, she went to the bathroom and took out a small vial filled with a purple potion and turned the parchment over to write on the back.

_Lily, _

_If you don't know what to do with this then clearly I've taught you _nothing_. Hope the results are what you're hoping for! Let me know as soon as possible!_

_Brigit_

Still chuckling, Brigit found a piece of string and attached the short letter to the pregnancy potion. Artemis was back with her leg extended. Clearly, Lily had wanted an immediate reply. She watched her owl fly into the night and climbed slowly back into bed.

"Wha's that all 'bout?" Remus murmured sleepily in her ear as he pulled her closer in his arms.

"I'll tell you in the morning, Remus, go back to sleep."

* * *

**December, 1979. Hogsmeade.**

Severus Snape ran quickly from the filthy pub and apparated on the spot; as he reappeared, his master was waiting for him.

"What have you uncovered?" As Snape told his master what the young woman had told Dumbledore in the Hog's Head. He saw his master's frown deepen as the details of the prophecy fell from his lips.

"Very well. We will see to this immediately. Come, Snape."

* * *

**A/N: Whew! This is a lot longer than I thought! Well, you reviewers deserve it! I've been getting great feedback on this fic and you guys totally rock my socks. Those of you who are reading and not reviewing, care to drop a note? I'd love you even more than I already do -! Hope you enjoyed!**


	20. Chapter 20

**:D**

**Oh, part of this chapter is taken directly from **_**Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows **_**which doesn't belong to me, yada yada yada. This is only necessary because, well, it happened for real, not just in fanfiction. Severus **_**did **_**go to Dumbledore and JK Rowling has courteously offered us this scene already.**

* * *

"'_What's your family?' he demanded through clenched teeth._

'_Boleyn.'_

'_What's your kin?'_

'_Howards.'_

'_What's your home?'_

'_Hever and Rochford.'_

'_What's your kingdom?'_

'_England.'_

'_Who's your king?'_

'_Henry.'_

'_Then serve them. In that order. Did I say the Spanish queen once in that list?'_

'_No.'_

'_Remember it.'"_

_The Other Boleyn Girl, _Philippa Gregory

* * *

**January, 1980**

"I want some tomatoes."

"Tomatoes?"

"Yes. Right now."

"Lily, it's the middle of the night. You can't have tomatoes right now."

The green eyed-demon glared at her husband.

"I'm sorry, James, _what _did you just say?" her voice was dangerously low.

"I said I'm going to the store right now to buy some tomatoes?" the brown haired husband conceded, slinking away from his pregnant wife. As he walked out of their house, Lily sighed and pulled out a piece of parchment.

_Brigit,_

_Care for a visit?_

_Lily_

Letting out another sigh she fastened the note to her owl and watched him fly away into the peaceful night sky. A few minutes later, a small pop indicated Brigit had indeed received her note and a soft knock at the door followed by a tired "Lil?" alerted Lily to how early in the morning it was.

"Hey, Bri," Lily greeted her tired friend who hadn't bothered to change out of her pajamas.

"What's up, Lily? You look exhausted." Brigit looked at her closely and placed a hand on the ever-swelling belly. "How's the baby?" Lily smiled.

"Hungry. Like always. I sent James out for tomatoes," Lily explained as they walked back to her bedroom. Sprawling on the bed, Brigit continued to look at her questioningly. They stared at one another in silence for a few moments.

"Today is Severus' birthday," Lily whispered, pulling absently at a loose thread on the bedspread. "When we were little, we would sneak out to the playground and celebrate."

"Oh, Lils," Brigit took her hands with her own. "It'll be okay, someday. Someday this war will be over and you and James and that baby in your belly will be able to move on."

"Yeah," sighed Lily, accepting her friends' comfort. "Yeah."

* * *

"Brigit!" Sirius burst into her apartment and jogged to the bedroom, flung open the door only to reveal Brigit and Remus hastily throwing their clothes back on and blushing furiously. "Oh," he grinned, "did I interrupt a quickie before the full moon, dear friends?" A pillow smacked him in the face and he laughed, walking back to the living room.

"Is there something you wanted, Pads?" Remus asked, pulling his shirt over his head.

"Meeting tomorrow night," he was still grinning as a blushing Brigit walked from her bedroom in more suitable attire. "Dumbledore called it at the last minute. I figured since I was coming over here I'd let you all know instead of using a patronus."

"Okay, but I don't know if Remus will be well enough to—"

"What d'you mean you were 'coming over here?'" Remus interrupted, staring at his friend, who looked at his feet.

"We…we were searching through the…the remains of your house, Brigit," Brigit stilled and stared at Sirius with piercing eyes. "We found a box in a bedroom that looked like it belonged to a girl…" he finally met her eyes and withdrew his hand from the inside of his robes. He presented a box the size of a hardcover book to her; the box was wooden and beautifully carved. She let out an audible gasp when she recognized it.

"Oh, Sirius…" she breathed, taking the box gently from his hands. Green eyes met gray. "Thank you," she whispered sincerely, a tear slipping down her cheek. Remus put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"You're welcome," Sirius answered solemnly. He made his way to the door; Remus followed him as Brigit gently caressed the box that had once belonged to her mother.

"So, when are you going to ask her?" Sirius eyed his scarred friend carefully. Remus flushed and looked quickly at Brigit, ensuring she hadn't heard.

"Shut up, Sirius!" he hissed and Sirius laughed. "Soon. The war is getting too dangerous; I'd like to have my claim on her known to the world before I'm killed…"

"How very romantic," Sirius said dryly. "Is that the only reason?"

"Of course it isn't!" Remus insisted. "But—"

"What are you two girls hissing about over there?" Brigit's voice sounded from the kitchen where she had laid out the contents of the box. Her voice sounded throaty, like she was crying.

"Bye, Brigit!" Sirius called. He opened the door and thumped Remus on the shoulder. "Do it soon, Remus. She can't wait forever…" Remus met his eyes and saw the grief there. _So, old friend, _Remus thought to himself as he watched him disapparate, _you still feel for her, do you?_

* * *

"…he thinks it means her son, he is going to hunt her down—kill them all—"

"If she means so much to you," said Dumbledore, "surely Lord Voldemort will spare her? Could you not ask for mercy for the mother, in exchange for the son?"

"I have—I have asked him—"

"You disgust me," said Dumbledore…much contempt in his voice. Snape seemed to shrink a little. "You do not care, then, about the deaths of her husband and child? They can die, as long as you have what you want?"

Snape said nothing, but merely looked up at Dumbledore.

"Hide them all, then," he croaked. "Keep her—them—safe. Please."

"And what will you give me in return, Severus?"

"In—in return?" Snape gaped at Dumbledore…but after a long moment he said, "Anything." (Rowling 677-8)

* * *

**March 10, 1980**

"Happy Birthday, Remus!"

"Moony! Happy Birthday!"

"Mr. Lupin," Dumbledore's eyes were sparkling. "Great tidings for the day of your birth."

Remus and Brigit walked into the packed room, hand in hand, to the shouts of various well wishers. This was technically an Order meeting, but apparently Lily had prepared a cake for afterwards to celebrate Remus' twenty-first birthday.

After the meeting (which had included several gloomy topics like the increasing numbers of Voldemort supporters and the fact that the Giants have joined his forces), drinks and cake were served and everyone eagerly embraced a reason to be happy in these dark times.

"Gideon, Fabian!" James called them over as he and his friends lounged against the wooden meeting table. "I heard you two are uncles, yet again!" The twins came over, smiling and more than a little tipsy.

"Aye!" They affirmed in unison, looking remarkably like their twin nephews Fred and George. "Molly's named him Ronald; he was born on the first!" Gideon grinned as his drink sloshed noisily in his cup.

"And he's got red hair, just like the rest of them!" Fabian declared.

On the other side of the room, Lily was answering questions about her pregnancy to Alice Longbottom, who was in a similar state.

"Frank is slightly ridiculous about my 'condition'," she laughed, patting her growing belly fondly. "He's trying to convince my boss that I need maternity leave early. He hates that I still go out on missions…"

"James too," Lily nodded in understanding, rolling her eyes at her obsessive husband. "Sometimes I think he thinks _he's_ the one carrying the baby, not me." The women laughed and their respective men looked up in alarm, knowing immediately what (or _who_, rather) they were laughing at.

"What are you ladies giggling about over there?" Frank asked congenially, tilting his head to one side. Alice stuck her tongue out at him childishly and Brigit gave Remus a _look_. He merely grinned at her and gave her a look that she read easily.

"Well, my dears," she pecked Lily on the cheek and patted Alice's head, laughing. "I think it's time I gave Remus his present, eh?" she smirked at them slightly and they chuckled as she grabbed her boyfriends hand and waved goodbye to everyone else.

"She'll never change, will she?" Alice asked Lily fondly, watching her curly haired friend fly out the door.

Lily grinned. "Let's hope not."

* * *

Smirking slightly, Brigit threw her boyfriend onto their bed and pinned him with his hands above his head, her body resting lightly on his. He grinned as she placed open mouthed kisses along his jaw line and felt goose bumps break out on his skin.

"Bri…" he choked out as her mouth went lower and lower down his torso. "Bri, wait…" she paused, looking up at him with confusion in her eyes. He sat up and brought her with him, kissing her deeply on the lips. "Wait just a second, please?" Without waiting for an answer, he hopped off the bed and went into the robes he had discarded on the floor.

"Remus, what—"

"Brigit Major," Remus interrupted, as he gingerly slid down onto one knee in front of her. She let out a gasp as she realized his intentions and stared at him in disbelief.

"Remus, wait—" she tried to say, but he interrupted her yet again by opening the small velvet box upon his knee, revealing a sparkling engagement ring.

"Brigit Major, I promise to love you forever and always. Will you marry me?"

* * *

**A/N: TEE HEE!! Hmm, I wonder what she'll say! What would **_**you**_** say?! I haven't written the next chapter, so I'm thinking the amount of reviews I get is definitely going to influence her answer! (cackles evilly) Hope you enjoyed!**

Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. New York: Scholastic, 2007.


	21. Chapter 21

**MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA**

**Ahem.**

* * *

"_What a difference a preposition makes! If you take the 'with' out of 'Nice to eat with you,' it begins to mean something quite different. Less wholesome. More creepy. It just goes to show that not all eating that happens in literature is friendly. Not only that, it doesn't even always looked like eating. Beyond here there be monsters."_

_How to Read Literature Like a Professor, _Thomas C. Foster

* * *

"M-marry you?" Brigit asked in disbelief as she stared at the harmless little ring extended in front of her. "Remus, wait just a second here! We can't get married!" She looked up in time to see the crest-fallen face of her beloved as he shifted uncomfortably on bended knee.

"Why can't we? We love each other, we already live together, and it'd just be a piece of paper that makes it official!" His pleading eyes looked so pitiful that she was almost tempted to say yes just to satisfy him. Almost.

"Remus, listen, get on the bed with me." He did so, a slightly desperate look in his eyes. "Remus, you know that I love you, and I would _love _to marry you—"

"REALLY?!" he interrupted loudly, a grin on his face. She held up one finger quickly, before his hopes got too high.

"But…"

"I really hate that word."

"But don't you think this is a little hasty? I mean, we haven't even been together a year yet…" Brigit grabbed his hands reassuringly and forced him to meet her eyes. "I don't want to get married because you're afraid you'll die before it happens, Remus. I won't get married because you're scared of Voldemort. To me, marriage is more than just a 'piece of paper that makes it official.'"

"Brigit," Remus tilted his forehead to meet hers as he kissed the tip of her nose lovingly. "I want to marry you so that you can be _mine _and no one else's. I want to marry you so that I'm guaranteed that your face is the last thing I see in the evening and the first in the morning. I want to marry you because I love you more than anything else in the world. Isn't that a good enough reason to do it?"

Brigit inhaled deeply and closed her eyes, trying to find a way to express herself without crushing his feelings. "Neither of us have jobs, except the Order which is temporary. I want to get married when we have a foundation for a life to build on, thinking _past _the years of the Order of the Phoenix. Do you understand where I'm coming from here?" She was grasping at straws, she knew that, but she just _couldn't _get married. Not yet.

Remus stared at her hard. "I understand…but I'm confused. It sort of sounds like you're making up excuses so you won't have to be my wife."

Brigit growled in frustration at the anger behind his words. "I don't think you fully understand how dangerous I am, Remus. Just because nothing has happened in the past year doesn't mean that I'm safe to be around! I could kill you at any moment, given the right circumstances! Why don't you understand that?!"

"You're talking to a werewolf, Brigit. Don't you understand _that?! _I could kill you or infect you as easy as you could kill me. But I'm willing to put aside my fear—"

"You're not putting aside your fear, you're acting on it! Your fear of death, Remus, is palpable."

"What, and you're not afraid of dying?"

"I'm not afraid to die, no."

"What a load of bullsh—"

"I was raised with the idea that at any second the 'other side' would burst into my house and kill my family and destroy everything I love. Siren's and wizard's have a very different idea of what is scary about death. When you're on the side that's constantly running for their life, you have to _live _on your fear instead of _act _on it."

"That doesn't even make sense." Remus snapped. "And stop avoiding the conversation. Answer my question."

"You've asked quite a few, _dear,"_ Brigit replied curtly. "Which one would you like answered first?"

"WILL YOU MARRY ME, BRIGIT MAJOR?!" he roared in frustration.

"Oh how very romantic, Remus, gesturing angrily while screaming your proposal at me! I'm about to fall over from excitement."

"That wasn't an answer!"

"No! I won't marry you! Especially when you ask like that! Ask me properly and maybe I'll give you a better answer!"

The two glared at each other for a moment before Remus sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "This wasn't how this conversation was supposed to go…" he sighed again and Brigit softened at the sad tone of his voice.

"We can't get married now, Remus. Someday, but not right now…ask me in a year or two and maybe the answer will be different…" She ran her hand along his scarred face softly as he kissed her palm.

"I love you, Brigit."

"I love you too, Remus."

* * *

**July, 1980**

"It's a boy! A boy! I have a son! A boy! It's a boy!" James came tearing into Brigit's flat where all of his friends were waiting impatiently for the news. He was grinning like a madman as his friends screamed congratulations at him heartily and started dancing around the room.

"What's his name?" Remus asked excitedly, restraining an ecstatic Brigit from pouncing on the new father.

"Harry James Potter," James announced proudly. "He's completely perfect in every way. He even has his mother's eyes!" The fatherly pride was coming off of him in waves, he was grinning so broadly. He turned to Sirius, who was laughing in his dog-like way. "You'll be god-father?" he asked, and Sirius' eyes widened.

"Of course!" he exclaimed, clapping his friend on the back, beaming.

"Well, I think it's time we all went to the St. Mungo's to see the new mothers!" Brigit stated, giddy from all the news. Frank had burst into their flat yesterday to announce that Alice had also given birth to a boy they named Neville. The huge group of people made their way out of the cramped flat with Frank and James leading the way, singing merrily. As Remus went out the door, he turned to see Brigit still standing in the middle of the apartment, smiling to herself.

"What's up?" he asked when she didn't move from her spot.

"Yes." Was all she said. He stared at her in confusion.

"What?" She looked up slowly, tears of happiness forming in her eyes.

"Yes, Remus. I will marry you."

* * *

**Early October, 1980**

"We have to…what?"

"Go into hiding, Mr. Potter. A safe house, with a secret keeper."

"Wh—why?" The dark haired man clutched at his wife's hand.

"I have reason to believe that Voldemort is hunting you. You are no longer safe with only the protection the Order can give you. You must have a deeper level of protection to ensure the safety of your family." Dumbledore frowned at the couple he had known since childhood and watched to grow into adults. They were scared, yes, but not nearly as frightened as he was.

"Who…who would be the secret keeper?" Lily asked softly, gripping her sleeping son tightly in her arms.

"If you wish, I would be happy to be the secret kee—"

"Sirius." James said flatly, meeting the eyes of his old professor. "No offence, professor, but Sirius."

"James," Lily said quietly to her husband. "James, wouldn't it be safer to have—"

"You know Sirius would never betray us, Lil. You _know _that. Dumbledore, however, is a much more prominent man in our world. The chances of him betraying us are impossible but he's needed for the Order."

Dumbledore's light blue eyes met James' hazel, and the old man knew his mind was set. "How much time do we have, sir?"

"I would suggest as soon as possible, but I know you will both be intent upon attending the wedding of Mr. Lupin and Ms. Major..." at the couple's nod, he frowned slightly. "Immediately after that then, both you and Mr. Black will go into hiding. You are positive of your decision?" James nodded vehemently and Lily gave a small smile.

Dumbledore sighed an ancient sigh. "So be it."

* * *

**Later that same month**

"Congratulations, you two!" squealed Alice delightedly, causing baby Neville to coo cutely. "The ceremony was _beautiful_!" Remus and Brigit had on matching grins as they greeted their friends. He kissed her lovingly on the cheek as her brother came up to take her for a dance. James, Sirius, and Peter walked forward at the same time to greet their friend.

"Marauder meeting!" James exclaimed, pumping his fist into the air. Everyone laughed as he led the group away, the other three complaining loudly at how bossy James was. When they were farther away from the group, James pulled them into a huddle. "Now, upon the wedding of our dear Moony," James smirked as Sirius started poking Remus and Peter giggled femininely. "We also know that there's some ill times brewing, and this may be one of the last times all four of us are together." The mood instantly darkened at these words, and everyone frowned in unison.

"You really know how to kill a party, don't you, Prongs?" Sirius asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Be serious." James chastised.

"Always!"

"That joke isn't funny anymore! Get a new one!"

"You two fight like old ladies, did you know that?" Peter snorted as Remus nodded fervently.

"Okay, okay, but really, in all seriousness." James looked at Sirius fiercely, daring him to make a joke. "Padfoot, Moony, Wormtail, you all are my best mates and I don't know what I'd do without you. You made school a crazy blast and I'm honored to fight beside each of you in the Order." Each of them was getting choked up, though they tried to fight it. "The Marauders will go down in history no matter what, but just…try to keep yourselves safe, okay? I don't know what I would do without loyal friends like you."

They all whispered in agreement and, looking at the group from far away, you knew you were seeing brothers instead of friends. James stuck his hand out in the middle of their 'huddle,' and the other three followed suit; a 'secret handshake' they had come up with in first year.

And, for the very last time, they all murmured in unison, "Mischief managed."

* * *

"Wormtail, you ready?" the little man straightened his shoulders and nodded, extending his hand to shake James'. "Thanks for doing this, mate. Is Sirius still pissed?"

"A little, but he understands." Peter glanced nervously at Lily, who was smiling at him reassuringly.

"Have you told anyone about this?" James asked in a business-like fashion. If was going to protect his family, he was going to do it the best he could; and if that meant going behind Dumbledore's back and using Peter as a secret-keeper instead of Sirius, well, so be it. Peter shook his head and inwardly sighed.

"You okay?" he asked his wife. Lily nodded slowly, tears forming in the corner of her eyes. It had been devastatingly hard to say goodbye to her friends without actually giving herself away and saying goodbye. She knew, however, that it had been even harder for James to lie to his friends, unsure of who was the leak in the Order.

_It's such a dangerous time; you can't even trust your friends. _James told himself, frowning. If only he knew how right he was.

* * *

**February, 1981**

"Remus, honey?" Brigit called to her husband who was lying on the bed, waiting impatiently for her to 'get her sweet ass out of that bathroom into bed.'

"Yeah?"

She walked slowly into the bedroom and sat on the bed, facing Remus. She twisted a curl tightly around her finger and nibbled on her lip, trying to figure out how she was going to tell him this.

"Bri?" Remus asked worriedly. She had been looking pale and tired for the past few days, he had been worried about her and now his angst was only increasing. "Honey, what—"

"I'm pregnant." Brigit stated flatly, looking at Remus for a response. His mouth fell open in shock as he took in her words and he gaped at her for several moments before finally able to form words.

"I—I thought you were doing the spells…" he said meekly. _She can't be pregnant! We said no children unless we adopted…oh, Merlin, she's pregnant with a werewolf-siren baby… _

"I did…but I guess I forgot one time…I—I don't know what happened…" tears started streaming down her face and Remus immediately felt guilty. She was pregnant and emotional; this was no time for him to react negatively.

"Oh, Bri, don't cry, _please _don't cry! Aren't you happy? We're going to have a baby!"

"I—I am h—happy!" she sobbed. Remus had to restrain himself from smiling at the contradiction. "It's just…oh _Remus_!" She threw herself into his awaiting arms and sobbed uncontrollably on his shoulder.

"Brigit, don't worry about it. It happened, it's done. There's nothing we can do now but be happy about our child!" he placed his hand reassuringly on her abdomen and kissed her lightly, trying to channel his negative thoughts somewhere else. "We'll go to St. Mungo's tomorrow and figure out the chances of passing on our…less than desirable genes, okay?" She smiled slightly and brightened considerably.

"You're right. We'll have to worry about finding a new flat, one with two rooms…" he pulled her down to lie next to him as she began talking excitedly about plans as he absently stroked her belly where his child was growing.

"When are you due?" he asked her when she stopped to take a breath. She grinned.

"Halloween!"

* * *

**A/N: Dude, I almost cried writing this chapter. For real. But the **_**real **_**tissue warning is for next chapter as the deaths of several characters approach quickly!**

**I'm sooooooooo close to 100 reviews, care to indulge me? Pretty please?**


	22. Chapter 22

**I really don't want to write this chapter.**

…**that's all.**

**Oh, and the reason I haven't updated in like…a century…is because I've been working like a mad-woman at my new job! (little pink hearts).**

**Warning: Tissues. That's all I'm going to say.**

* * *

"_Dustfinger inspected his reddened fingers and felt the taut skin. 'He might tell me how my story ends,' he murmured._

_Meggie looked at him in astonishment. 'You mean you don't know?'_

_Dustfinger smiled. Meggie still didn't particularly like his smile. It seemed to appear only to hide something else. 'What's so unusual about that, princess?' he asked quietly, 'Do you know how _your _story ends?'_

_Inkheart, _Cornelia Funke

* * *

**October 30, 1981**

"Push!" Remus exclaimed, clasping his wife's straining fingers with his own. "C'mon, Bri, push!"

With one last scream and a bone crushing grip, the healer exclaimed, "It's a boy!" He grinned and held the crying baby for all to see. "Another beautiful baby boy! And look how much he resembles his brother!" Brigit was gasping into her husband's shoulder, tears sliding down her cheeks in a healthy mixture of pain and joy. As the doctor sewed her up, Remus gently wiped her sweaty forehead with a cloth, kissing her repeatedly and stroking her cheeks.

Hesitantly, she took the blanketed baby from the waiting healer as Remus took the other gently in his arms. "Twin boys," Brigit said quietly, placing a kiss on the still squirming child's forehead. "How do you like that?" Remus laughed lightly, cuddling his son tighter to his chest.

"Oh, Brigit, have you ever seen such beautiful children in your entire life?" They laughed in unison and Brigit scooted further on the bed, inviting him and her other son to join her. Lying there, side by side, each holding one of their sons, they finally felt like the family they had been waiting for.

"I have good news!" The healer exclaimed, coming back into the room holding a long piece of paper. "It seems your werewolf gene, Mr. Lupin, has not been passed on to your sons!" Remus grinned as Brigit let out a whoop of glee, both releasing a breath they hadn't known they were holding in.

"What do you want to name them?" Brigit sighed, watching her two babies yawn sleepily and stretch slowly. "After our fathers?"

"Mmhmm," Remus mumbled. "John and Sors? They don't seem to go very well together."

"Sors is a pretty sophisticated name for such a little thing," Brigit chuckled.

"What does Sors even mean? I know it isn't English."

"Sors was the God of Luck, which proved to be ironic later in my father's life, obviously. How about something mythical…?"

"What, Remus and Romulus?"

"Haha, you're so funny."

"How about John and Michael Sors?" Remus smiled, fatherly pride bursting inside of him.

"John and Michael Lupin," Brigit mused. "Sounds perfect to me."

"I'd like John's middle name to be Sirius," Remus added slowly, having a mental debate on whether or not he should suggest it.

"I think that would be lovely," Brigit agreed quietly. "Which one is which?" As the happy new family decided upon various things that would be boring to anyone except new parents. However, the couple was thinking the same thing the entire time they were debating…

_I wish our friends were here. _

* * *

**The next day. 8:00 p.m.**

Cloaks billowing out behind them, the Death Eaters and their leader stealthily made their way up the street to the now obvious house in Godric's Hollow. Bursting through the front door of the unsuspecting family, Lord Voldemort smiled (if you could call it that) to himself.

"_...__and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives..." _he thought, killing James Potter with the casual flick of his wrist. How remarkable that his son looked almost exactly like him, _except for the eyes…_ Voldemort mused as he looked upon the eyes the boy inherited. _The eyes that Severus Snape would give his life to protect. _

"Please, not Harry!" Lily Potter cried in anguish, standing weakly in front of her crying son's crib, begging for her life. "Please! Kill me! Just not Harry!"

"Move aside, you silly girl!" Voldemort was not one to _discuss _death with his victims; this had gone on far long enough. His snake-like eyes glowed red as he took the young woman's life…

…and then he felt no more.

* * *

**11:00 p.m.**

Pain.

That was the only word that could describe the feelings tearing through her body: red-hot and searing pain. Physical pain seemed so trivial compared to this. This pain was different; the pain of losing part of yourself without actually knowing it.

"They're…dead?" She asked feebly, unable to comprehend what Remus was telling her.

"Voldemort came into their house and killed them both," Remus replied, tears staining his words. He was sitting next to her hospital bed, head in his hands, shaking from the effort of trying to control his unimaginable grief. "Sirius must have…must have…" he couldn't even see straight, let alone finish his sentence.

"No," Brigit refused, her eyes hard. "Sirius would _never _betray James. You _know _that, Remus! He couldn't have! It must be some sort of mista—"

"Are you even listening?!" Remus exclaimed, clenching his fists in fury and throwing his chair across the room. Brigit fell silent, never having seen her husband like this. "They're DEAD, Brigit! MURDURED!!" He fell back to the ground, tears overcoming every other emotion circling through his body. As he sat, sobbing on the floor, he felt Brigit's arms circle around him and pull him close, their tears mixing together.

"We have to do something about this," Brigit finally said, an hour later, rubbing her eyes. "We _have _to find Sirius and make him _explain. _I don't care if we have to torture him; we _need_ to talk to him!"

"No, Brigit," Remus refused quickly, realizing what she was planning. "No, I won't have him killing you, too. I need you here; your sons need you here; that'll just be something that Dumbledore sorts out."

"How can you say that?! Sirius, your _best mate _Sirius turned to the Dark Side?! No way, I refuse to believe that. I _refuse._"

Remus sighed. "Just…promise me you won't do anything rash, please? We can figure this out, together, soon. I promise you we'll do _something, _just not now. Please promise me?"

Brigit stared into his eyes. "I promise." She finally agreed, sighing. "I love you, Remus."

"I love you too, Brigit. I gotta to headquarters and do some business—you'll wait for me to come back? I'd like to see you again tonight."

"Okay. Be careful."

"Bye."

Several minutes later, as tears found their way down her face once more, Brigit slipped from her bed, found some clothes and walked through the deserted hallways to the nursery where her sons were sleeping peacefully in their bassinets.

"I love you, my boys," Brigit murmured, pressing her forehead to the glass. And then, after quickly changing into some street clothes, she slipped past the St. Mungo's welcome witch and made her way to the streets. Straightening her shoulders and taking a deep breath, she walked quickly, all the while thinking, _I'm sorry, Remus. I couldn't sit there and do nothing._

* * *

**Early morning, November 1, 1981**

Still walking, Brigit turned the corner and, to her surprise, saw Sirius standing at the end of the street, fierce and menacing. Peter was facing him on the other side of the street, cowering with tears falling down his face.

"Sirius!" Brigit called, striding towards him before he could apparate away; standing in front of him, he certainly looked like a mad-man. She was frightened of him, but not frightened enough to run away. "What the hell did you _DO?!"_

"Brigit!" Sirius exclaimed, momentarily tearing his eyes away from Peter. "You're not pregnant anymore!"

"You killed them!" Brigit and Peter said at the same time.

"No, I didn't!" Sirius replied hastily, quietly so only Brigit could hear. "No, listen, Brigit, James and Lily changed secret-keepers at the last second to try and fool Voldemort—_Peter _was the secret-keeper, not me! You have to believe me!" And, looking into his eyes, Brigit knew he was telling the truth. _Peter _was a much more believable candidate for selling out his friends.

"You k-k-killed them!" Peter was still sobbing loudly, turning the heads of several muggles passing by. "Lily and James, Sirius! How _could _you?!" and he plunged his hands into his robes for his wand and Brigit gasped as he turned to the pair of them, a malicious glint in his eyes. Unthinkingly, Brigit leapt forward to try and tackle the mousey boy to the ground, but he was quicker than her; a loud explosion sounded from his wand as he blew the street to smithereens and a searing pain seized Brigit's heart as she fell.

For a moment, there was silence.

And then the screaming began. Muggles were running every which way, sobbing and drenched in blood; Sirius stood there, shocked for a moment, his wand outstretched, when he saw Brigit's body on the ground, facing away from him. Walking forward, not only did he note that Peter had transformed and run away, but he saw that Brigit wasn't moving. Panic and fear gripped him as he ran to her and knelt beside her.

"Please, Brigit, please. Don't be dead. Don't do this to me, to Remus, oh, Merlin, _please_!" He slowly turned her over, and let out a scream of surprise when he saw that the entire left side of her body had been blown away, leaving only a bloody mess of bone and blood. "No!" he screamed, clutching his hair in agony. "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"

* * *

**Late November.**

It was gray outside. That was the only way to describe it. Smoke-colored rain clouds covered the sky as drops of water fell to the earth lazily, hesitantly. Remus stood in front of the gray tombstone as he had been for hours, staring blankly into the distance, his grief too fierce for even tears to come. The epitaph shone brightly against the rain-speckled stone, mocking him. To his bewilderment, the world kept moving even though she was gone. People still went shopping, paid bills, visited friends, wrote letters…even though she was gone. Lives continued moving even though his life had come to a stop. The only things that were keeping him going were John and Michael, but they were being watched by Alice Longbottom at the moment.

_Brigit. _He thought to himself, clenching his fists and dropping to his knees. _Oh, Brigit, please don't leave me. _

"Remus?" a small voice called out. He didn't bother to look up to see who was interrupting his grief. "Remus, please, you've been here for hours. Please come back to headquarters." It was Marlene McKinnon. Remus merely shook his head; words were impossible. She sighed and walked away again, unable to see him like that.

How was he supposed to go on without her? How in the world was he supposed to live, work, hell, even _breathe _without her beside him? How was he supposed to explain to his sons where their mother was? He could never fully describe her…his sons would never be able to understand what a wonderful and amazing woman their mother was. They would never know her. _Never. _And that was perhaps the hardest thing of all.

He knelt in front of that piece of curved stone for hours, maybe longer. He couldn't bring himself to leave, to say goodbye. Because if he said goodbye, that would mean she was really gone. Leaning against the cold stone, he let out a shaky breath. Pressing his fingers to his lips, he blew one last kiss to his beloved, and walked slowly away.

Long after he apparated away it began to rain harder, drenching the cemetery grass and temporarily staining the tombstones a dark-gray. The fresh dirt of the grave turned to mud and the epitaph gleamed slightly.

_Brigit Major Lupin_

_1960-1981_

_Beloved mother and wife_

_Living forever in our memories_

* * *

**A/N: (cowers under desk) Don't kill me!! Epilogue coming soon!**

**I want to take this opportunity to thank my reviewers (if I still have any…). You guys are AMAZING. I never dreamed that I would get 100 reviews and you guys make me so happy. I can never thank you enough!**


	23. Epilogue

**I've changed Remus' date of death from May 2, 1998 to November 1, 2054.**

**Before I start crying, I wanted to take this time to thank all of my readers and especially my reviewers. You guys are phenomenal and I know without a doubt that this story wouldn't be finished if it weren't for you guys. Thank you all so much for your guidance and support—it means more than you will ever know.**

**I would also like to make a dedication. This story is dedicated to my dear friend and co-creator: ****Serenadea. She is a wonderful author and an even better friend and helped me get this story started.**

* * *

**May 2, 1998**

"_Reeeeeemus…" a soft voice called out to him. _

"_Ughhh…"_

"_Reeemuuusss…" the voice insisted. It was getting louder._

"_Mmmm…" soft hands caressing his scarred face. The hands were warm and smooth and felt incredibly familiar and the wash cloth they were running over his face felt cool and refreshing._

"_Remus, it's time to get up," the voice sounded happy, like they were smiling. "Remus, open your eyes," the voice commanded. He reluctantly obliged, slightly eager to see the face of his savior._

"_Brigit?" he breathed, taking in the sight of his beloved. Looking around, he saw they were in their old flat, lying in bed together. He was on his back and she was propped up on one elbow, facing him. _

"_Hello, my love," she murmured, placing a soft kiss on his forehead. "It's been too long." Staring at her in disbelief, he breathed deeply, inhaling her scent and committing it to memory._

"_This is a dream." He stated rather than asked. She nodded sadly, tracing his scars with the tips of her fingers, making him shiver. "Am I…dead?" her deep green eyes, a color he had never been able to find, searched his. _

"_No," she murmured again. "No, you aren't dead. This is just a dream; you are sleeping in the Great Hall of Hogwarts. Voldemort has been defeated." He gaped at her._

"_Harry…he defeated…" shaking his head, he sighed. "And…Tonks?"_

_Brigit eyed him carefully. "She's dead, Remus. I'm sorry."_

"_Dead…" he repeated disbelievingly. "Brigit, I'm sorry for getting married again—"_

"_Don't be!" Brigit laughed quietly. "I've been watching over you and the twins, Remus. Haven't you felt me in the wind? Haven't you heard my voice in the trees?" He nodded silently; he had indeed felt her presence all these long years. "I knew you would get married again—I had hoped you would. Please don't apologize."_

"_But I have to," he insisted desperately. "I didn't love her the way a husband should love a wife. I love _you_, Brigit. The love I have for you is…" he stuttered, unable to find the words. She patted his head reassuringly._

"_I know, honey," she kissed his forehead again. "I know." They stared at each other for an immeasurable moment. "But it's time to wake up now, Remus. Time for you to go raise your children and maybe even find another love," she laughed slightly. "You've done wonderfully with the twins, Remus. I couldn't have done better myself." He shook his head again._

"_They want to know their mother," he said sadly. "Brigit, why? Why did you have to go and find Sirius?" He had been furious for almost two decades, and he finally had the chance to get some answers. "Why did you leave us?" Tears welled up in his throat and he buried his head in her lap as she sighed once more and stroked his head._

"_I don't know…" was all she said. He was shaking with sobs now as he finally saw his beloved. He hadn't expected a real answer from her. After all, would the truth really have made him feel better?_

"_But," she continued. "I do know that John and Michael, and even little Teddy, need you now. They need you more than ever before. It's time to go back." He nodded, not ready to leave._

"_They came to me, you know," he whispered. She cocked an eyebrow at him questioningly. "The sirens. The ones that are left. They came to me after the funeral and gave me strength."_

"_I know," she affirmed softly. "It's tradition in my kin to seek out those who have lost fellow sirens and comfort the families." He sighed a deep sigh._

"_I love you," he said for the first time in sixteen years. "I love you so much, Brigit Major Lupin." He smiled at her name. "I wish you had been mine for longer."_

"_I'll always be yours," she answered softly. "And I will always love you…" She leaned down slowly and their lips met passionately; it could have been seconds, and it could have been hours, but it didn't matter. It was a dream._

_The scenery around him began to fade as they broke apart, and he stared into her eyes for the last time as she whispered her goodbye, "…forever."_

* * *

Pain wracked Remus' body, pain like he had never felt before, not even in his transformations. Someone was pounding on his chest and he wished they would stop; he was in enough pain as it was.

"He's breathing!" a voice far away called. Remus groaned inaudibly, wishing he were back in his dream. He ached _everywhere_, in places no man should ever ache. His body felt like it had been through a washing machine and then thrown over hot coals, shredded through a cheese grater and sewn back together with sharp needles. "Get a healer over here!" the same voice called urgently. He felt a liquid being dripped down his throat, and he sputtered and choked on it as they forced him to swallow. The pain ebbed slightly as the potion began to work, and the scene around him became clearer and clearer.

"Remus!" he realized now the person was only gently rubbing his chest; the pain was now localized to one point in his side. Kingsley was hovering over him, his dark skin glistening with sweat. "Remus, are you okay?" His deep voice, usually so calm and soothing, was thick with worry.

"I'm…okay," he choked out, trying to sit up. The pain was drifting further and further away, and he felt like he was in a fog. "I'm…okay."

"Here, Mr. Lupin," a healer had come forth carrying another potion, the goblet smoking. "Drink this." He obliged and immediately felt the affects as fatigue floated heavily over him.

The last thing he remembered was seeing Tonks' body lying next to his.

* * *

**November 1, 2054**

"Goodbye, Dad," John, Michael and Teddy murmured in unison as their 94 year-old father drifted into sleep, never to awake. They wiped their tears and clasped his hands as the healer tucked the sheets tighter around the body and comforted the brothers.

Remus watched the scene from above when he felt presences next to him. He turned slowly away from his sons and smiled, seeing his two loves behind him.

"Hello, my love," Brigit said once more.

"Hey, Moony," James and Sirius grinned at him.

"Nice of you to finally join us, Remus," Lily laughed.

"You look _old_, mate," James and Sirius agreed together, shaking their heads.

"That's what happens when you're 94," chided Lily lightly. The three started bickering happily and Brigit walked forward, taking his old, wrinkled hands with her own.

"You won't look like this for very long," she told him softly. "Soon you'll be twenty one again, like us," she smiled at him affectionately. "We've been waiting for you." The other three had stopped arguing and turned to him, smiling. As he walked slowly forward to his friends, he smiled a crinkled smile.

He took a deep breath and greeted them with his eyes. "I've missed you all."

And they were finally together for all eternity.

* * *

**A/N: :) Questions? Comments? Concerns? Leave me a note!**

**Fin.**


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